Please provide some background information about yourself (e.g. major, year in school, hometown, etc.).
I am a junior studying materials science and engineering from Hudson, Ohio.
What inspired you to start Cut to the Case?
Julia Haried and Lizzy Engele, the co-founders of MakerGirl, inspired me to be a female entrepreneur. I was inspired to start Cut to the Case after seeing how prevalent sexual assault and harassment are on our campus and across the United States. It was alarming to me how many sexual offenses go unreported. Cut to the Case was formed around the idea of using technology to create a victim-centered investigation process to bring perpetrators of these crimes to justice.
What is the most rewarding part about your work with Cut to the Case?
The most rewarding part about starting Cut to the Case has been learning from people who are doing amazing work around sexual assault prevention. We were able to learn from a woman who led an initiative in Detroit that successfully ended a backlog of 11,000 untested rape kits found in an abandoned Detroit PD storage unit. Her efforts helped identify 811 serial rapists. This work is often emotionally exhausting but I am constantly reminded of all of the reasons to push forward by those committed to this issue. I have also been very touched by the people who have contacted me with their personal stories after starting Cut to the Case- this means the world to me.
I heard that you are also involved with MakerGirl. Please tell us about your involvement with MakerGirl and your favorite part about MakerGirl.
I worked on the team as the Internal Marketing Manager & Academy Manager for 2 years. MakerGirl is a non-profit organization that uses 3d printing sessions to inspire young girls to be active in STEM. My favorite part of MakerGirl was leading 61 sessions over 10,000 miles across the country for 2 months to impact 1,000 girls in rural and underprivileged areas. I learned more than I could have ever thought possible through MakerGirl and the MakerGirl Goes Mobile initiative specifically. An added bonus was meeting my co-founder, Premika. :)
What is the most challenging part about managing MakerGirl and Cut to the Case?
The most challenging part about working for 2 startups and starting my own all at once was staying focused in school. I was extremely passionate about the startups I worked with and wanted to spend all of my time driving change. I had to remind myself that school was equally as important. I learned a significant amount about time-management in the process and had to sacrifice some things that were important to me so I didn’t spread myself too thin, but I don’t have any regrets.
Please explain your dream job and career goals.
In the future, I hope to start more businesses so I can pursue my passions as my own boss and be a special agent for the FBI.
What are you most proud of about yourself?
I am proud that I have had the opportunity to show so many young girls that STEM careers are for everyone. Gender equality and access to education are issues that are extremely important to me and having the ability to be a role model for young girls that have yet to realize their dreams and goals has been so empowering.
What other activities are you involved with on campus?
On campus I am VP Internal for the National Organization for Business and Engineering and a PM in EntreCORPS. I am also involved in iVenture, Engineering for Social Justice Scholars, Committee on Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Committee on Women in Entrepreneurship.
What are you hoping to accomplish before you graduate?
Before I graduate, I hope I can make a measurable impact on sexual assault prevention at U of I with Cut to the Case. I also hope that as a female engineer and entrepreneur I can raise the number of women involved in both fields, either through more community outreach or initiatives on campus.
Who is someone you look up to? Why?
My role model is Julie Smolyansky. As the CEO of Lifeway Foods and Co-Founder of Test400K, she is a successful female entrepreneur and mom. Julie regularly challenges the status quo and uses her voice to pave the way for sexual assault survivors and women in entrepreneurship. Julie proves that women can have a family and make a social impact while achieving success in the workplace.
Kendall Furbee
Kendall Furbee is a junior studying materials science and engineering and is originally from Hudson, Ohio. Kendall is a co-founder of Cut to the Case, an organization focused on creating a rape kit tracking system to aid sexual assault investigations. Kendall says Cut to the Case was created “around the idea of using technology to create a victim-centered investigation process to bring perpetrators of these crimes to justice.” For Kendall, the most rewarding part of Cut to the Case is learning from others who are helping sexual assault survivors. They met a woman from Detroit that ended a backlog of 11,000 untested rape kids and helped identify 811 serial rapists. Kendall also has been touched by personal stories that she has heard along the way of establishing Cut to the Case.
Kendall is also involved with MakerGirl and she worked as the Internal Marketing Manager and Academy Manager for 2 years. Kendall says her favorite part of MakerGirl has been, “leading 61 sessions over 10,000 miles across the country for 2 months to impact 1,000 girls in rural and underprivileged areas.” She said an added bonus was meeting her co-founder of Cut to the Case, Premika Pandian. Kendall is also involved with iVenture, Engineering for Social Justice Scholars, Committee on Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Committee on Women in Entrepreneurship. She also serves as the VP Internal for the National Organization for Business and Engineering and as a PM in EntreCORPS.
