kids encyclopedia robot

Jennifer Boykin facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
CVN80 First Cut of Steel (cropped)
Jennifer Boykin in 2017, signing a steel plate for the new USS Enterprise (CVN-80) ship.

Jennifer Boykin is a super important engineer! She is the first woman to become the president of Newport News Shipbuilding. This is a huge company that builds ships. She is also a vice president at Huntington Ingalls Industries, which is the bigger company that owns Newport News Shipbuilding. Both companies are in Newport News, Virginia.

About Jennifer Boykin

Her Early Life

Jennifer Boykin's family has roots in Puerto Rico. She was born in California. She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. When she was a kid, Jennifer loved playing sports. She was even the first girl to play baseball with the boys in her area!

Her Education Journey

Jennifer studied hard to become an engineer. She earned her first degree, a Bachelor of Science, in Marine Engineering. She got this degree from the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York.

Later, she continued her studies. She earned her second degree, a Master of Science, in Engineering Management. She got this degree from George Washington University in Washington, D.C..

Her Amazing Career

Jennifer Boykin started her career as an engineer. She worked in the nuclear engineering part of Newport News Shipbuilding. She worked her way up through different jobs. Eventually, she became the president of the whole company!

This was a really big deal. Jennifer is the first woman to be president of Newport News Shipbuilding. The company has been around for over 133 years! She now leads the biggest shipbuilding operations in the United States. Her company is the only one that builds huge nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. It is also one of only two companies that build nuclear-powered submarines.

Right now, the shipyard is busy building new Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers. More than 22,000 people work at this shipyard.

Her Family Life

Jennifer Boykin has been married to Blake Boykin for over 30 years. They have one daughter. Guess what? Her daughter also works at Newport News Shipbuilding!

kids search engine
Jennifer Boykin Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.