I first came upon the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) via LinkedIn, and after looking into the Society, I knew I wanted to be a part of this dynamic group. Further, I felt that applying for acceptance to SWE’s Academic Leadership for Women in Engineering (ALWE) program would be beneficial to me for two core reasons.
Firstly, I am a firm supporter of lifelong learning as there is always more someone can learn. Second, I am the first full-time female engineering instructor in the history of my university, and this has created barriers to my progress in my position.
Coming from industry, I was not prepared for the barriers I would face in academia: that biases were more present than what I had experienced in industry (which was none, in my experience, but I understand and respect this is not true for everyone).
It was my hope that I would come away from the program with strategies to overcome these barriers, so I could both set an example of a strong, resilient role model for my students and also gain perspective on the potential to change the outdated views of others. I hoped to promote equitable and welcoming treatment in engineering, ensuring all students felt genuinely welcome. Speaking up when wrongdoing occurs can be precarious, but if I change the path for even one person, it is worth it. My students are why I do what I do, and I am so grateful to have had such kind and intelligent students.
The ALWE program and the mentors provided powerful monthly sessions, and I truly enjoyed both the asynchronous and synchronous portions of the course. The mentors and speakers were engaging and interactive and really forced us (in a good way) to think about our roles, how to further highlight our skills, and take charge. A lot of the work in this course is akin to professional soul searching: reflecting on our current practices, what holds us back, how we leverage the strengths of our colleagues, and our perceptions of what others may think.
Ahead of each session we were given a workbook to complete, and we would then reflect on our work in the meetings and fill in the remaining sections. At times, the synchronous small group conversations were difficult, not due to the lack of receptiveness of my cohort members, but due to the difficulty in discussing barriers.
In my case, I feared this would create a perception that I am problematic because I often wonder why I face these issues, but my cohort colleagues spoke in a consistently supportive manner. This is the way that all sessions felt, and over time, I found that the way I responded to typed questions in my workbook changed and expanded as well.
One of my favorite activities was the Clifton Strengths Assessment and the follow-up session. I had a preconceived notion of what this assessment would tell me, but the results were much more in-depth than I expected, and the assessment questions really made me think. From this, I was able to highlight personal and professional strengths.
I also think that while the cohort taking part in this course is female-identifying, the teachings are applicable to everyone. Anyone can face challenges in pursuing leadership positions, in being heard, and in having their voice and ideas genuinely considered — we all face struggles pursuing our professional and personal goals. I hope to apply what I’ve learned in a broad sense to benefit all of my students.
For anyone considering partaking in ALWE, it is worthwhile, and the program is also accommodating to your schedule. There were days that I could make the meeting synchronously and some that I could not, but this never created a break in the consistency of the program or in my feeling of belonging.
In conclusion, are the issues I am facing immediately solvable? No, but ALWE provided me with the confidence and support to feel that there is hope for change. I hope that I can bring this knowledge back to my workplace and work with those in leadership positions to facilitate positive and equitable change, creating opportunities for those in underrepresented roles, such as myself and many others, to advance and take on leadership roles.
Learn more about the ALWE program on SWE’s website, and hear more stories from women engineers in ALWE in episode 271 of Diverse: a SWE podcast!
