Alumni Spotlight: Lakim J. Desir ’15
Binghamton University alumnus Lakim J. Desir ’15 recently was named a 2022 Black Engineer of the Year at the BEYA STEM conference.
Desir grew up in Queens and discovered his passion for engineering through the influence of a mentor at a young age. He remembers the profound effect his mentor had on his life and strives to take on that same role for other underrepresented kids.
Upon graduating from the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science with a bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering, Desir began working in Moorestown, N.J., at Lockheed Martin, one of the country’s leading aerospace and defense companies. After seven years at Lockheed, he is transitioning to a new opportunity with Deloitte.
QUESTION: How does it feel to be awarded the 2022 Black Engineer of the Year Outstanding Achievement Award?
ANSWER: This is a very surreal moment for me. My acumen as an engineer as well as my personal development stems from my time at Binghamton. To be nominated and then to win is something that is very humbling, and I’m certainly grateful for it.
I’ve been working at Lockheed Martin for seven years, where I’ve had the opportunity to work on some advanced technologies and perform outreach to the community. Lockheed Martin sponsored me to be a nominee for the Black Engineer of the Year, which is a national award. The council determined the winner based on who had a great social impact to the community as well as by identifying some of the impacts that we may have had for the business.
Q: How did you first get into industrial and systems engineering?
A: I really love to tell the story of my path to engineering. I’m originally from a generally under-resourced community in Queens. I’ve always had an acumen for math and science in a way where it felt like things just clicked for me in that world. At a very early age, a mentor in my life identified that I had that skill set and introduced engineering to me. At the time, I hadn’t known what engineering was — it wasn’t even a thought for me. By having that connection with that mentor, I went to an engineering trade school in high school, which gave me exposure to engineering principles.
At that time, I recognized that engineering disciplines are truly needed in this world. After that, I knew that I wanted to be an engineer. I chose industrial and systems engineering because of my affinity for people and processes and wanting to understand how to make processes more efficient while also eliminating waste.
Having a mentor at a young age taught me the concept of representation and how important it is. That also planted the seed for me to feel deeply obligated to serve a community like my own. I recognize that if my mentor had not reached out to me, it’s very likely that my path would not have been engineering. As I’ve grown and gained success in my career, I’ve always recalled those moments where my mentor stepped up — that’s certainly why I have such an affinity to help develop the skill-sets of young people.
Q: What are some of the ways that you give back to the community?
A: One of my goals is to allow young people to have exposure to engineering in a way that allows them to understand the STEM field and that being in STEM is a viable career option for them. During my time at Lockheed Martin, I facilitated an annual STEM Day by partnering with some schools in the Moorestown area. I had about 350 kids come over the course of five years to show them our engineering labs, give them tours of our facilities and have them meet engineers.
This was something that I did on my own initiative — I thought that this was my principal responsibility. When I walked through the halls at Lockheed Martin, I wanted to see more Black and brown people. I wanted to allow young children to have access to what it looks like to be in this incredible facility with some of the most advanced technology.
In March 2020, through our partnerships with neighboring schools, the Urban Promise school in Camden, N.J., reached out to me and let me know that they did not have the technological infrastructure to support having their students work remotely due to the pandemic. At that time, there was great uncertainty, so this was a huge challenge. There were students who did not have laptops at home. Camden is a very overlooked city in which the population is generally impoverished. For me, it was a deep responsibility to find ways to get them the learning resources that they needed.
Within four days, I was able to get $20,000 worth of learning resources to that school. I spent those days on the phone, reaching out to friends and family, and I was able to create that fund. That was one of the most beautiful displays of camaraderie — although there were so many people in need at that time, there were also so many people willing to give. I recognized that I wanted to be the connective tissue to those who are in need and those who are willing to give.
Q: Why did you decide to attend Binghamton University for your bachelor’s degree?
A: Initially, I started my collegiate studies in Vermont at St. Michael’s College. I was a young kid from Queens who hadn’t had exposure to much of the world outside of New York City. At that time, I did not know how to navigate what felt like such a drastic cultural shock for me. St. Michael’s College is a liberal arts college, so I was already straying away from engineering by even going there.
I decided to transfer out of that school and head to a school that I knew had a very well-ranked and recognized engineering program. Transferring to Binghamton was the opportunity for me to course-correct, to pick a program in which I would be able to make the highest and best use out of my work while also having diversity on campus.
Q: In what ways do you think Binghamton helped prepare you for your career?
A: For anyone who has gone through the Watson programs, they understand the unique challenges associated with being a Watson student. It’s incredibly rigorous. When I got to Binghamton and began in those engineering classes, I had a really hard time in terms of academia. I recall continually going to office hours for every professor. I recognized that my learning style just needed to be reinforced. That taught me this idea of putting in the reps — continual repetitions at something until you really get it.
I had a really hard time landing an engineering internship because of my academics. I was teetering on that line of having a 3.0 GPA. I went to Professor Peter Borgesen’s office one day and I asked him if he had space in his lab for me to do research with him. He looked at me and he said: “Are you ready right now? Are you willing to walk with me to my lab and begin doing lab research work?”
That was a critical moment for me. Although I didn’t have an internship, by doing research with a very renowned professor, I was able to develop sound skills. I took that opportunity that very day — I went to his research lab.
Professor Borgesen was a mentor for me throughout my time at Binghamton. I conducted research for him for about a year and a half, which ultimately yielded a published paper for a journal. I learned a really valuable lesson, and that was truly taking advantage of the opportunity when it’s presented to you.
Q: What advice would you give to other Black engineering students based on your experience?
A: It’s often very discouraging to be in a space where you are underrepresented. A lot of times it leads to self-doubt and negative thoughts, which in turn start to affect work relationships and the overall confidence within yourself. I would tell students to identify where it is that you feel you can add the most value. Take a look at some of the things you find to be the most fulfilling and do more of that.
Another thing I would stress is that there’s value in admitting when you don’t know something. Oftentimes none of us really knows anything. I had to come to grips with that. Once you identify that, you are willing to be malleable and to go along that journey to find the answers. Understand that there’s value in not knowing, and that the goal is to get closer and closer to finding out what you don’t know.
We can get discouraged when we feel like we don’t know something. What’s required is this perspective shift in which we say: “I’m OK with not knowing that. How can I get myself in a strategic position to begin to learn?” There’s a certain level of humility associated with being able to recognize what you don’t know.
I would also encourage young Black engineers to pursue organizations like the National Society of Black Engineers. Being a member of NSBE during my time at Binghamton allowed me to develop some really key relationships that I continue to hold dear in my engineering career.