SWE has over 300 collegiate Sections and Affiliates, all who strive to empower women to achieve their full potential in careers as engineers and leaders, expand the image of the engineering and technology professions as a positive force in improving the quality of life, and demonstrate the value of diversity and inclusion. While these shared goals and values unite us, each SWE group also has an original story and unique point of view.
SWE HQ is excited to spotlight the SWE Bryan College Affiliate in Dayton, TN, formed in March 2022. We spoke with founding member Raelynne Van Heukelem so we can get to know them and introduce them to our SWE community.
How does Bryan College benefit from having a SWE Affiliate?
One of the goals of our SWE Affiliate is to serve our community so we are focusing on helping students at the college have professional development resources and seminar speakers. We saw a need to help STEM students with career applicable skills that will help them not only now, but in their future after college. This club is still in the beginning stages but we also hope to volunteer next semester at specific events to help serve the college and the community.
Can you describe one of your group’s typical meetings or events? Do they take place mostly virtually, in-person, or a mix of both?
All of our events are in person, and typically we have a speaker come and lecture on their professional experience or hold a seminar workshop on a professional development skill. So far we have had a chemical engineer from SWE speak on her professional experiences and we also had a post college financial planning workshop.
Do you have any advice for other engineering students looking to start a new SWE Section or Affiliate at their school?
SWE is definitely a rewarding club and very easy to start but I would recommend looking for connections in your local area who are involved with SWE.
Learn how to start a SWE Section or Affiliate at your school here!
