Victoria CUMMINGS “Creativity is Essential for Achieving Scientific Innovations!”

I live in Portland, Oregon in the United States. I work as a process engineer at Nike. The manufacturing of Nike products is ensured through a set of processes established to automate and make it as optimal as possible. My role is therefore to develop and design these processes, then regularly check if they are effective, knowing that effectiveness refers to manufacturing good quality products in fairly short timeframes.

I therefore collect on a daily basis a good number of data from the different departments I work with (design engineers, planners, automation engineers, polymer researchers and forensic doctors). This data is interpreted and used for process improvement.

I chose this profession because I felt that Nike is a company where I can continue my adventure as a “scientific creator”. A scientific creator, for me, is someone who creatively applies scientific knowledge to develop and deliver innovative products for the future of fashion, sports, art and technology.

My educational background is very different from that of most people. If someone wants to receive a copy of my CV, contact me and I’ll be happy to share it with you! : Before obtaining my process engineering degree at university, I did a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, then numerous internships in Fortune 500 companies (ranking of American companies with high turnover), polymer research at Princeton and an academic exchange in China.

My greatest achievement has been “obtaining my engineering degree”. It was a very long journey for me, as I started as a business student before switching to engineering. This year of reorientation was difficult because, in addition to the various changes, I lost my best friend in a shooting. University is not always easy; we often experience many ups and downs and tons of mentally exhausting events that cause some students to not complete their studies. I managed to overcome these obstacles, and no matter how long it took me to get my degree, I got it, with the bonus of a job that I love very much!

If I had the slightest chance to change something in my journey, it would probably be to take all my basic courses at community college, be more serious and diligent. This would have allowed me to save a lot of money.

What makes me different today is the positive energy I bring and my attention to detail, and this applies to all areas of my life including my hobbies.

Outside of work, I love yoga and Pilates! I also recently launched a business and it takes up a lot of my time. I don’t have a team yet, so I do everything by myself. From scouting my models for photo shoots, to their styling, to taking photos and marketing my brand. Basically, I create and train outside of work!

Here’s a photo of me during a photoshoot for my brand!!

I combine my personal and professional life by explaining to my colleagues who I truly am outside of work. Most know that I am a creator and that I love fashion. I also combine the two by using the project management skills I acquire at work and applying them to managing my personal brand.

The advice I can give you is to HAVE CONFIDENCE IN YOURSELF, WORK AND STUDY! If you take shortcuts, you can only go back to your starting point. Working and working again, that’s what helps me.