The FY24 SWENext High School Leadership Academy (SHLA) program has officially come to a close for the year. This year’s program has been filled with learning opportunities, new connections, and insights into the different paths people take in order to reach their career goals.
The FY24 SHLA program had six live sessions, with two of these sessions focusing on peer-to-peer networking. Each live session helped students develop a different level of awareness and perspective on how they identify in STEM.
The FY24 SHLA program operated slightly differently from previous program years. There was no open enrollment for the program throughout the year, and the total number of SHLA members was 237 with an average of 60 participants in each live session.
SWE is excited to announce that the FY25 SHLA program will be switching back to open enrollment for the entirety of the year! Students will be able to easily join the program at any point throughout the year.
When students were asked what their favorite part from sessions throughout the year was, this is what they said:
“Talking to a civil engineer. Ayo felt extremely passionate, and I was engaged in what she was saying. I’ve heard of a civil engineer and had an idea of it, but with this session I was able to get more information about it.”
“My favorite part about the session was Ayo Sokale teaching us about the different pathways after high school besides college.”
“I loved getting to hear what aspect of engineering my peers were interested in, and it was just really neat to meet other girls very passionate about STEM.”
“Being able to hear how Dr. Somara was able to take a nontraditional path to engineering that she still finds enjoyable. This allowed me to learn about the wide range of opportunities available.”
“It was inspirational seeing women accomplish such amazing feats in the engineering field. It was very motivating to see all the amazing things women are capable of.”
“My favorite part of this session was the career path discussion. I enjoyed looking at the illustration because it provided a clear way for me to distinguish what I have to do in the future if I want to work in places like Honda.”
“My favorite part was hearing how Alexis McKittrick worked on a Climate Action Plan for the EPA because I am interested in environmental engineering and possibly working for the EPA.”
The first session of the FY24 SHLA program was on August 12, 2023, with speaker Ayo Sokale. In Live Without Limits: Identifying Your STEM Pathway, Ayo discussed her personal journey in STEM and college, and offered insights that helped attendees approach their own educational journeys.
When asked what her thoughts on entering college undecided were, Ayo said, “One particular summer, I studied every single facet of engineering for six weeks on a summer course…I found that even learning about the other parts of engineering was really useful because I had already decided on civil engineering, and maybe structural engineering, but by the time I’d done all the work experience, I’d decided structural engineering wasn’t for me.” By sharing her experiences, Ayo showed students that it’s important to invest in all kinds of experiences in order to discover what STEM pathway clicks with them.
The second live session, SWENext Connect: Mapping Your STEM Pathway, was a networking session held on November 13, 2023. In this session, participants were separated into breakout rooms where they each discussed their goals and made individual digital vision boards. These vision boards allowed students to pinpoint their values, as well as explore how their different passions fit together.
On November 27, 2023, students were joined by speaker Dr. Shini Somara for the third session, Embracing a Branching STEM Pathway. Dr. Somara discussed how there is no wrong path when pursuing a career in STEM, as well as how to navigate feelings of guilt or failure when making large shifts in your educational or career journey.
“Even though I had gained a lot of academic qualifications and I’d done really well at university, when I actually got into industry, I felt like I had learned, like I knew nothing…I feel like people in industry succeed when they are following their true passion…I guess because I was so driven to tick all the boxes that my dad wanted me to pick, I think I didn’t pay so much attention to what my true purpose was.” — Dr. Shini Somara
After the New Year, the SHLA program came back with a session on February 12, 2024, with speaker Jayshree Seth, Ph.D. In this session, Gearing Up for Your STEM Pathway, Jayshree discussed important aspects of her engineering career and her experiences as a STEM professional.
At the end of this session, students split up into breakout groups led by SWE collegiate member volunteers who discussed the benefits of being a member of SWE while in college. This session was a standout not only because students had an opportunity to network and connect with collegiate members, but they also received a free copy of Jayshree’s book, “The Heart of Science: Engineering Footprints, Fingerprints, and Imprints.”
On April 8, 2024, SHLA held A Day in the Life With an Engineer session with speaker Torie Purdy. Torie is an engineer for Honda, and she covered her educational and career journeys, as well as her daily tasks and responsibilities at work. Students were able to gain insight into the testing that cars at Honda go through before being available for purchasing by the public.
The final session of the FY24 SHLA program was on May 6, 2024, and was titled SWENext Connect: Staying Connected on Your STEM Pathway. This was a dual opportunity session where students were able to hear career and educational insights from current SWE President Alexis McKittrick, Ph.D., and then at the end of the session participate in peer-to-peer networking.
Alexis covered her unique STEM pathway that combines engineering with public policy and working for the Department of Energy. After Alexis’ presentation, students split into breakout groups and shared their experiences in the SHLA program this year.
The FY24 SHLA program was full of opportunities for students to learn about the various pathways that can lead to success and how no one can decide what path is best for them besides themselves. Students left this program feeling very satisfied with their learning opportunities, as well as feeling more confident in their engineering knowledge.
Out of those who completed the SHLA post-program survey, a majority rated their overall satisfaction with the program a 5 (very satisfied). The majority of students also ranked their confidence in successfully pursuing a degree in engineering at a 5 (very confident). Students were required to complete knowledge checks after each session, and with knowledge checks ranging from 5-6 questions, the point average for students was 3.2 points.
The FY24 SWENext High School Leadership Academy would not have been possible without support from our sponsors, Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), the Honda USA Foundation, #startsmall, and General Motors. We want to give them one final shoutout for this program year!
Don’t worry if you were unable to participate in the SHLA program this past year! The FY25 SHLA program is now available to join for SWENexters ages 14-18. This webinar series will have monthly live sessions for participants to join, as well as networking opportunities with peers and professionals in STEM. Feel free to review the SHLA webpage for more information on the program. Join the FY25 SHLA program today!
