What the 19th Amendment Means to Me

by Dr. Cordelia Ontiveros
Professor Emerita, Chemical and Materials Engineering

In celebration of America’s 100th anniversary of the women’s suffrage movement, Dr. Cordelia Ontiveros shared an essay on the movement's meaning to her in the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity's (NAPE) Many Facets. Below is the essay in full.

Professor emerita Dr. Cordelia Ontiveros speaking with a group of students.In the 100 years since women achieved the right to vote, there have been many social, political and economic changes. Since the first women were elected to the United States Congress 100 years ago, the number of women serving in Congress has increased substantially, especially during recent years. In 2018, a record number of women were elected to federal and state offices. It takes generations for large structural changes, such as the composition of the U.S. Congress, to occur. Women had limited access to college, law school, and the military, which have been paths into politics. After the passage of Title IX in 1972, some 50 years after the 19th Amendment, women had greater access to higher education and have participated in increasing numbers.

Women now represent the majority of college students nationwide. Also, women entered the workforce in greater numbers. Just last year, in the United States, the percentage of women among the college-educated workforce became slightly higher than the percentage of men. In 2016, women comprised more than 50% of law school students for the first time. In the U.S. military, in the last 50 years, both the percentage of women and the percentage of women among officers have grown substantially. Although women’s participation has been increasing in these areas, it will take additional time for greater numbers of women to advance into leadership positions.


"For me, the 19th Amendment and the right for women to vote means that we have a voice. We have a voice to elect representatives who share our priorities. We have a voice for change. We have a voice to advance our country for all members of our society."

By the 19th Amendment Tricentennial in 3020, I think that the United States will have elected several women as President. The number of women serving in Congress has increased substantially in recent years, and these women will advance to leadership positions, including President of the United States. 

For me, the 19th Amendment and the right for women to vote means that we have a voice. We have a voice to elect representatives who share our priorities. We have a voice for change. We have a voice to advance our country for all members of our society.

My parents were my biggest source of support and inspiration. I received my strength and determination early in life from them. They were true pioneers for their generation. My mother was trained through the U.S. Army Nurse Corps and was a registered nurse. She had a large and positive impact on my life and my career. She worked in hospital critical care and intensive care, taught nursing, and served as a nurse in the Head Start program. She inspired her nursing students and her Head Start students, and she inspired me. My father was a decorated World War II veteran who received a degree in engineering and worked in the space program. Together, they raised me and my siblings with high aspirations, and they encouraged us to reach for the stars and to pursue our dreams. Each of us children completed a college degree, and several of us received advanced degrees.

I loved math since I was young, and in high school I enjoyed chemistry. In college, I pursued chemical engineering, and I stayed with it all the way through graduate school. Now, I love sharing my enthusiasm with the next generation and inspiring young people to pursue their dreams through higher education. At Cal Poly Pomona, I have had the opportunity to develop initiatives for K-12 and postsecondary STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education enhancement. I truly believe in the power of education to transform lives and communities.

In 2013, I co-founded the Cal Poly Pomona College of Engineering Femineer® Program, which serves to inspire and empower K-12 female students to pursue STEM majors and careers. The Femineer® Program is a unique and innovative three-year hands-on curriculum. Year 1 is Creative Robotics to develop programming skills while exploring creativity. Year 2 is Wearable Technology with more advanced programming, sewing with conductive thread, and soldering. Year 3 is Pi Robotics in which participants apply skills to build and control a robot. The Femineer® Program has grown to over 100 schools in six states. More than 3,000 K-12 students have attended the Annual Femineer® Summit. Participants in the Femineer® Program report increased self-confidence and increased interest in pursuing engineering in college and as a career. The Femineer® Program received recognition in 2015 from the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics for increasing educational outcomes and opportunities for female Hispanic K-12 students across the country.


"I look forward to the days in the next 100 years when girls and women will experience true freedom and equality and the opportunity to achieve their dreams. I know it is possible."

Also at Cal Poly Pomona, I founded the Cal Poly Pomona Women in Engineering (CPP WE) Program, which promotes a close community for female engineering students by connecting them with female faculty and alumnae, holding speaker series, providing mentorship programs and offering a variety of student leadership development opportunities. With just 15% women in the engineering workforce, our economy is missing out on the talent of a large portion of the population. Inclusive teams develop more creative solutions for the many challenges we face. At Cal Poly Pomona, the percentage of females among the entering engineering student population has increased by 60% from Fall 2007 to Fall 2019, from only 13% to 21%. CPP WE builds skills, self-confidence, and a supportive community for all to thrive in the classroom and beyond.

So much has changed in the last 100 years. When my mother was a young girl, almost 100 years ago, she did not dream that she would see her children attend prestigious universities in California and beyond. My father did not dream that he would see a man fly to the moon and that he would play a direct role in that achievement. When I received my Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Princeton University, it was at a time when women in engineering programs were extremely rare. As a female Hispanic with a Ph.D. in chemical engineering, I was part of a very small community. Often, I have been the first and the only. I look forward to the days in the next 100 years when girls and women will experience true freedom and equality and the opportunity to achieve their dreams. I know it is possible.