#UMassGives 2019

The Society of Women Engineers is a professional organization that supports the success of women in engineering. Through building professional skills, creating a strong support network, and discussing issues that women in engineering face, we work to promote women in engineering by promoting both professional and personal growth and development. 

This year we are raising money for the SWE National Conference taking place in Anaheim, CA. Last year 12 SWE members from UMass went to the national conference. More were interested but were either not able to cover the airfare themselves or expressed their interest too late in the process to register. This year we hope to send 25 of our active members.

The SWE Conference is a fantastic way to network with female engineers across the country. Over a series of two days, the attendees are able to get advice, make new professional relationships, and even interview for internships and full-time positions at companies nationwide.

Current SWE President and senior Mechanical Engineering student, Olivia Mosolgo, shared about her awesome experience at the 2018 SWE conference: 

"The National Society of Women Engineers Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota was incredible. The networking and career opportunities were unparalleled, and I truly hope that someday every woman in our college has the opportunity to attend. If we are able to inspire more donors, we may be able to send freshman women in the future, which I think would benefit our female engineering retention rates. 

I personally received five interview opportunities with companies that I greatly respect, and would be proud to work for. I was able to practice my networking skills with a group of professionals at "hospitality suites", which are evening events that companies invite you to in order to discuss positions and company culture in a more relaxed setting. I was able to attend seminars and keynote speakers who reaffirmed my desire to be an engineer, and gave me the motivation to finish my senior year strong! It was incredible to be surrounded by passionate, intelligent women. This was by far the most motivating and inspiring event of my college career."

Another active member SWE and junior Mechanical Engineering student, Abby Laughlin, shared her experience:  

The opportunity to attend the National SWE Conference completely influenced my career and expanded my horizons more than I thought possible. Because of this conference, I was able to network with recruiters from companies I had dreamed of working for and was offered an incredible internship where I was given real employee responsibilities and saw an impact from the work I did. This has in turn given me the technical and communicative skills I need to be successful in my career and have shown me how much I can accomplish with my engineering degree.

The SWE conference is an experience that shapes college careers and develops professional skills that set members up well for after graduation. As a minority group in engineering, creating a professional network of women engineers is essential.

We have secured some funding from the University, however, there are a lot of costs the university cannot cover. During UMass Gives we are raising money specifically to help pay for the cost of airline tickets and hotels.

If you would like to read more about the SWE national conference the 2019 home page can be found here. 

If you would like to learn more about the SWE chapter of UMass feel free to check out our social media pages or sign up for the email list:
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