The pursuit of knowledge: Danelle Gobert
Port Arthur local Danelle Gobert has long been a part of the manufacturing environment. With more than eight years of experience under her belt, an associates degree and ambitious goals, she joined BASF in 2021 as a process technician at the Port Arthur, Texas site.
Learn more about Danelle’s journey, challenges and aspirations in this article.
The road to manufacturing
From a very young age, Danelle enjoyed math and chemistry. When she took chemistry in high school, the periodic table awakened her curiosity and passion. She began her college studies in chemical engineering but became pregnant and chose to prioritize her family and work.
Working in the construction of manufacturing plants, she would talk with operators about the equipment and systems in place and discovered what working as a process operator was all about.
Danelle is no stranger to hard work and sacrifice. In 2012, she earned her associates degree in industrial technology and in 2014, switched to the manufacturing industry. In her more than seven years there, she worked her way up through training and qualifying in the different areas in the unit, ultimately becoming one of the senior leaders in the crew.
After a few years, she resumed her studies and pursued her bachelor’s in industrial technology, graduating on May 11, 2024.
“I made a hard pivot to be a mom. I wanted to be able to provide for my baby, but I always had a desire to have a bachelor's degree. Thinking long-term and looking into my options, industrial technology was the next best fit for me. I transferred over and was able to complete my bachelor’s degree in two years while working shifts and being a single parent,” she remembers.
A culture change
Family has always been a big part of Danelle’s life. She was raised by her grandmother from the age of nine, as was her twin sister. Danelle also has an older sister: “It’s just us three, and we are best friends.” Her family has also been a big part of her support system and a priority for her, so much so that in 2021, she decided to change companies to improve her work-life balance.
“I always wanted to work for a company that shared the same values as me. It’s important to me to have a sense of belonging in the workplace and BASF’s culture provides that feeling. BASF takes pride in making sure you get to see your family as much as possible while also meeting demands. Family is first and the work-life balance here is different,” Danelle reflects.
Female presence was also an important part of Danelle's choice to join BASF. “The place I came from only had two women on the unit and maybe 10 among 500 other people. The numbers here are more, and they're growing. At BASF, they also want to hire more women into different positions, including management and leadership, which is something I really like, too.”
Diversity and openness are also reflected in her team, something Danelle really treasures. In her own words, “Sometimes, and especially in a male-dominated environment, people often turn their back on you. Here, everyone is great, from management down to the shop floor. Everybody is accepting and open to hearing everything that you have to say. And they give me the space to take charge of my job, and they allow me to do my work.”
Her support system has only grown since joining BASF. Today, Danelle is a member of several Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), including Women in BASF, the African American Employee Group (AAEG), ALLchemie (LGBTQ & Allies) and Parents at BASF, creating new connections across the company.
At the beginning of my career, I was soft-spoken and wouldn't speak up. I'm a little introverted, so I've experienced people speaking for me and not listening to what I say, not valuing my opinion, and overshadowing and micromanaging. But as I continue to grow, I've learned to have a voice, that my opinion does matter, and I can contribute just as well as the next.
Community & Leadership
Danelle is passionate about giving back to her community and inspiring the next generation of professionals. Since joining BASF and the different ERGs, she has connected with a wide variety of employees in different spaces and even gained female mentors to support her goals and dreams.
Shawntel Shilo, Customer Care Account Specialist at the BASF Houston office, has helped push Danelle to continue to pursue her goals. “Danelle is the epitome of ‘representation matters’ at BASF. She has served as an inspiration to me as well as her colleagues by demonstrating that with hard work, determination, and dedication, a woman in the industry will make a lasting impact on those around her,” Shilo highlights.
Danelle has also participated in a wide variety of activities in the community, including a mentoring opportunity with high school girls at the very same school she attended years before. “How cool is it to be able to sit around and talk to young girls trying to find out their future? There weren't really many women in the industry to speak to when I was coming up, so now being able to see a woman in the position that I'm in, these kids have something to look forward to. By no means was it easy to get where I am, but at least somebody like them can show them that it’s possible,” she explains.
Today, she wants to continue developing her leadership skills in search of a future position in management. She hopes to "help prepare others, take my knowledge and pass it along to the people coming behind me, and also be a part of the day-to-day business changes.”
As part of these efforts, her manager suggested participating in the Women in Manufacturing Empowering Women in the Production Cohort, a development program that teaches manufacturing professionals the skills required to move into leadership roles, which she joined in 2023. “I got a chance to delve into different parts of myself that I didn't realize I actually needed to move on to the next level, as well as my weaknesses and strengths. We talked about emotional intelligence, handling certain situations, and different aspects that are needed to progress, which was eye-opening to me,” Danelle recalls.
Today, with more than 10 years of experience in her field, Danelle knows there is still room to learn and stones to turn in her journey to leadership. And she offers the very same recommendation she lives by when it comes to advising future generations of female professionals in the manufacturing industry: “Always remain a student, continue to learn, and be open to constructive criticism. And whatever you desire to do, you can do it.”
Published on June 19, 2024 by Mariana Licio.
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