JOYEUSE DUFITUMUKIZA
Job Title: Electrical Project Engineer
Company: IDS Group
Location: Irvine, Calif.
Age: 28; Years on the Job: 6
Interests: Playing basketball, getting Boba with friends, and participating in her worship group at church
Born and raised in Rwanda, Joyeuse Dufitumukiza had a father who was a civil engineer and a mom who is a math teacher.
“She encouraged me to study hard, especially in STEM,” she says.
Her hard work paid off, and she earned a full Rwandan president scholarship to California Baptist University, where she graduated with a degree in electrical and computer engineering.
“My education taught me to think like an engineer, to find the most effective and efficient way to solve a problem,” she says. “The rest was from work trainings and experiences, but the basics I learned in school.”
In her job as an electrical design engineer, her day-to-day responsibilities involve design and drafting, communication with clients and team members, and occasional site visits. She enjoys working with her colleagues and the lighting design aspect of her job.
She is challenged, however, about navigating a male-dominated field as a Black female engineer.
“I have people ask me where the engineer is, and I have to say, ‘I am the engineer,’” she says.
Currently, her company is working on the third Orange County Library and 12 high-security gates at LAX Airport. When she first started working, they used to print out plans and mark them by hand, but now they can use software instead.
“I think technology is crucial not just to make an engineer’s life easy, but it benefits a company as far as productivity goes,” she says.
In the next five years, she plans to start her engineering consulting business. Then she strives to be an owner and CEO in the next decade. She says it feels wonderful to be part of the 2023 EC&M 30 Under 30.
“I am so happy, and it’s wonderful to be recognized,” she says. “I am encouraged to keep going and to accomplish even more in the future.”
