Community college students are often excluded from conversations around broadening participation in STEM, particularly in the fields of engineering and computer science (ECS).
To better understand this issue and provide a solution, the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) conducted a phased research study of ECS transfer students to understand the success of women and minority students on this pathway towards a baccalaureate degree.
Findings from this research led to the development of SWE’s Community College Affiliate Support and Expansion (CCASE) Program. CCASE aims to increase support for SWE Community College Affiliates across the United States with direct financial and membership incentives to help facilitate professional development and outreach activities.
One of those SWE Affiliates is at City College of San Francisco (SWE CCSF) in San Francisco, Calif.. Learn more about this upstart affiliate and their on-campus work!
Please share a brief history of your SWE Affiliate. When was it founded? How many members do you have?
SWE CCSF was founded in spring 2024 with a small group of dedicated students passionate about supporting women in engineering. Starting with just five members, we have grown into a thriving community of 21 official members. Over 50 people have expressed interest in participating in the SWE Affiliate.
How often do you meet? Can you describe a typical meeting?
SWE CCSF typically meets around one to two times a month. The main focus of our meetings is to guide our members through their professional development journey through improving their resumes, practicing elevator pitches, or hosting panels composed of past SWE members who have successfully transferred to four-year universities. In a typical workshop, we invite CCSF’s STEM Employment and Training Specialist Emily Burns, who breaks down the components of a good resume or an effective elevator pitch. During this, members review each others’ resumes and elevator pitches so that they can build confidence and receive feedback in real time.
How do you attract new members and keep them engaged throughout the year?
To attract new members, SWE CCSF participates in CCSF’s Unity Day event once a semester where a bunch of clubs and organizations are able to interact with students in a fair-like setup. We have also hosted our own mixer events where students are able to learn more about what SWE is and meet other women engineering students. In addition, SWE CCSF has also hosted conference debriefs where attendees share their experiences to students, professors, and faculty who are then able to spread the word about what SWE CCSF can provide to students. To keep members engaged, we host tours to engineering facilities and subsidize SWE conference experiences.
What are your goals for the SWE CCSF Affiliate for the remainder of the school year or possibly looking ahead to the 2024-2025 year?
SWE CCSF looks forward to gaining new members, hosting more tours, attracting potential sponsors, and planning our attendance to WE25.
How does CCASE help your SWE Affiliate accomplish these goals?
CCASE has provided free membership to CCSF students, discounted membership to our faculty advisor, and even free registration to WE24 (and hopefully WE25) and discounted registration for WELocal San Jose. Financial constraints are very real for our community college students, many of whom are first-generation college students, and all are working in order to attend school. Our community college is also very constrained financially, not having research funding and even a full time faculty for our faculty advisor. The financial support CCASE provides is invaluable.
What has been the most popular event you’ve ever held over the years? Why do you think it was so popular?
Our most popular event was our Welcome Mixer in fall 2024. It brought together new and returning students and faculty to connect and learn about SWE CCSF. It was so popular because it provided a welcoming space for students to meet like-minded peers, explore opportunities within SWE, and gain valuable career advice in an informal setting.
Is there anything else about the SWE CCSF Affiliate you would like to share with the SWE community?
We are super excited about WE25!!!
I’m so proud of the leadership team at SWE CCSF! They have been creative and thoughtful in every aspect of event planning throughout the 2024-25 school year. I cannot recommend sponsoring this group enough. They have been a pleasure to work with and Sundt|Walsh has been really impressed with their accomplishments.