The purpose of the Unleash Your Inner STEM event series is first to help STEM students—with an emphasis on non-traditional and community college students—discover, develop, and learn to convey their own identities; and second, to research the impact of networking events on these students. Specifically, SWE—with funding from Northrop Grumman—is exploring how events like this one impact how students on the community college pathway choose majors, career paths, and internships, and equip them to succeed in male-dominated fields.
Our event on April 8th, 2021 from 5:30-7:30pm CT will begin with a panel moderated by Prasha Dutra, engineer, speaker, and creator of the Her STEM Story podcast. The panel will focus on career trajectories and the experience of being a woman in STEM and include these inspiring women:
- Courtney Cunningham, NSBE Houston’s 2020-2021 Young Engineer of the Year, Transportation Design at Freese and Nichols
- Elizabeth Rivera, former Information Technology Specialist and Professional Development Lead for SWE’s African American Affinity Group
- Cleo Weber, propulsion engineer for JUNO and MAVEN, SWE Rocky Mountain Member
After the panel, attendees will have the opportunity to join small group breakout sessions, each with a different topic related to STEM and identity. Discussion topics will include mentoring, transitioning from college to career, learning about jobs and networking, building confidence, and more.
Check out the panel recording of our last Unleash Your Inner STEM event below! Prasha moderated a panel including SWE members Claudia Galvan, Rose-Margaret Ekeng-Itua, and Monica Harrison. When our panelists were asked about their greatest flex, we learned that Claudia recently got her PhD, Rose-Margaret worked on a TED-Ed video that gained over half a million views, and Monica shared that while she didn’t have the resources to attend her first choice college, she will soon send her daughter to school there to study engineering and continue the dream.
We hope to see you on April 8th for another engaging and inspiring panel! Register here.
Related content:
- SWE Collegiate Event Recap: Unleash Your Inner STEM
- Infographic: Latest Research on Community College Student Success in Engineering
- The Community College Pathway: A Closer Look
- Community Colleges – A Vital Link for Engineers
