Arriving at college intending to study pre-med, Kiera discovered her true passion in industrial and operations engineering, drawn to how systems work—whether in a large corporation, a manufacturing line, or a hospital’s operating rooms. Her WFS foundation gave her the confidence to explore, pivot, and find the right fit.

At Michigan, Patterson researched meteorites, worked on a project to develop a device to monitor ventilator pressure for premature babies, and worked at  W. L. Gore & Associates as an industrial engineering intern. She later joined Estée Lauder as a supply chain intern and was part of a team at the University of Michigan Hospital focused on operationally improving surgical outcomes. Passion projects also shaped her journey, including Project MIA—supporting access to menstrual products for women in remote Amazon villages.

Patterson went on to earn a master’s degree in business analytics and data science from MIT, where she worked with GeoComply to better understand the mathematical models used for location verification, and with Frank & Eileen to develop demand-forecasting tools. This fall, Kiera will begin a new role as a data scientist for the American Medical Association in Chicago, eager to apply her skills to healthcare on a national scale.