Sweet Briar College’s newly-formed chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) kicked off the school year with a variety of programming to help students find future success.
The chapter was formed during the last academic year and has started hosting and attending events this fall, including traveling to Chicago, Ill. for WE24, the world’s largest conference for women in engineering and technology. From Oct. 24-26, 10 students, along with their faculty sponsor, Dr. Jon Bender, attended sessions, networked, and explored a career fair that featured hundreds of employers and graduate programs. Most of the students in attendance were able to interview with potential employers or programs, with quite a few coming away with offers for full-time jobs or internships.
“The conference is a really great place for people looking for internships, grad school, and job opportunities,” said Ana Patiño ’25, SWE chapter president. “Even if you didn’t get a job offer, you got a lot of experience talking to people, networking, exploring career fields, and preparing your resume.”
Ana leads the SWE executive board, which includes four other members and oversees nearly 30 members. The chapter is currently focusing on two strategic goals: career development and a project to convert an office in Guion Hall into a student lounge. In addition to attending WE24, the club hosts lunch and learn sessions with visiting industry experts and workshops with Career Services to help engineering majors prepare for the next step in their lives. A recent lunch and learn welcomed Meagen Phister ’20 for a discussion about engineering Ph.D. applications.
“I like the variety the program offers, what we’re learning can be applied to many different aspects of engineering,” said SWE secretary Sanjita Pokhrel ’25, who recently completed an internship with pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, of Sweet Briar’s engineering program. “All the classes are really hands-on, so it made me really comfortable and boosted my confidence when I did my internship.”
According to research completed by the Margaret Jones Wyllie ’45 Engineering Program, 66% of Sweet Briar engineering graduates from the Classes of 2018-2023 started engineering jobs or graduate study within three months of graduating and 86% were employed within a year.
“I think Sweet Briar has a very unique experience, especially for engineering students. Something I hear a lot from alums is that the education you’re going to get here, you’re not going to get anywhere else, especially in a male-dominated field,” Ana said. “I feel like when you come out of a women’s college, you’re not afraid to speak up, you’re not afraid to actually stand up for yourself and show you have the knowledge.”