#TeamMITRE Spotlight: Meha Elhence

As we celebrate and reflect on Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we’re spotlighting MITRE employees from our Asian and Pacific Island Business Resource Group to learn more about their impactful work here and in the community. Meet Meha.

“As a woman of color in STEM, I strive to use my skillset to engage with every voice in the room, especially those who are historically underrepresented. While conducting user research for our government sponsors, my end-goal is always to promote human-centered, equitable access to technology.”

Meha Elhence is a human factors engineer at MITRE, currently working on the Indian Health Service Electronic Health Records Modernization effort. She and her team address healthcare challenges in systemically disadvantaged communities through human-centered solutions.?

Q: Why is Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month important to you?

ME: While May is the formally designated Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the U.S., acknowledging our history and celebrating our culture is important to me every day. As I grow older and begin to establish my own communities, I try my best to honor my Indian American upbringing with intentionality, whether by cooking family recipes or sharing Bollywood music and movies with friends.

Q: Tell us about your volunteer efforts or service in the community.

ME: I use my professional knowledge and experience to mentor high school girls through the JumpStart program at MassRobotics.

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Q: Who inspires you the most and why?

ME: My task leads at MITRE inspire me daily. I feel grateful to have worked with managers who encourage curiosity and collaboration through empathetic leadership, which I aim to emulate as I move forward in my career.

Q: What advice would you give to your younger self?

ME: I would advise my younger self to embrace leaving the comfort zone. It took me too long to realize it, but doing so has helped me learn and grow in both my personal and professional life.

Make sure to check out our other Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month employee spotlights below:

-???????Dave Bryant

-???????Julian Nelson

-???????Liz Pollard