Finding the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers was rather difficult at first. They were not at a few welcoming events and no one could put me in contact with anyone in charge. It was rather concerning, since I knew there was a chapter at UNL. I had received a scholarship from the national organization as a senior and made sure UNL had a chapter I could join to claim the scholarship. Finally, I found an advertisement for a BBQ SHPE was hosting. There I was able to meet the awesome executive board and my soon to be friends. I also won a Husker blanket, which was a plus.
I missed a few meetings due to miscommunication, so I was unable to attend the National Conference, but I still had a lot of fun at the meetings. The group was small, probably 10 or so members at each meeting. So, we got to know each other really well and have fun with group bonding activities. We built towers out of cups with one hand and tried to stand up while back-to-back. It always ended in laughs.
We volunteered at a local church doing tutoring. I was one of few undergrads volunteering, so I was the one helping with anything non-engineering, since I still knew most of senior year biology. It was lots of fun meeting the different kids and forming bonds with them. Being able to help kids like me succeed was amazing. Especially since some kids even improved greatly thanks to our help.
Noche de Ciencias, the annual SHPE event where we have fun activities with local high school children to motivate Hispanic and underprivileged youth to pursue STEM, gave me another great opportunity to interact with the community. We had a small turnout since the weather was awful, but the ones who came built popsicle launchers with us and got to hear a lot about the admissions process.
We had our regional conference in spring semester. I got to go to Denver and hang out with the awesome people in the group. We had lots of laughs on the 8-hour drive over. Our region is the biggest geographically for SHPE. It also has the fewest members. There were so many nerdy conversations about math and science concepts, especially since one member was a math major and we ate at a restaurant named after Euclid. It was a wonderful opportunity to attend workshops about graduate school and using social media to promote ourselves, to meet other SHPE members in the region, and talk to companies centered in the Midwest.
Having to make our chocolate covered Oreos for the fundraiser was almost as fun. Everyone had an interesting but enjoyable time struggling to melt the chocolate and finding room to freeze the Oreos to be able cover them with the decorative icing. One or two Oreos might not have gotten the best artwork, or the most appropriate.
I was elected vice president at the end of the year, mostly because of how small the group was. And I have been helping out various members of the executive board this year as well. Even though we have lost some members to graduation, it still felt like a family during the fall semester. We recently went to the SHPE National Conference for 2017. Getting to meet so many other Hispanic engineers, both students and professionals, was awe-inspiring. All of these people were here to share knowledge, like the people who ran the workshops where I learned about using my strengths and how perfumery works, and lift up Hispanics in STEM, with all the networking events and major companies who were at the career fair seeking interns and employees. The fun trips around town when we were done with the career fair brought me closer to my SHPEs. Getting to travel and grow as a person at the conference is an experience I will always remember.
SHPE has opened up a lot of doors for me. Without SHPE I would have struggled my first year to find a sense of community at college. I would not have been able to be as involved in the Lincoln community. The organization gave me the chance to make new friends, help serve the community, and find myself in college. I owe a lot to SHPE and all its members, past and present. There is something about finding people who understand you and know your struggles. Though I’m only half Hispanic, I grew up in a very Hispanic culture in my hometown. Being around people who have the same traditions and understand that Taco Bell is not real Mexican food is comforting. SHPE also has allowed me to be more involved in the college of engineering and talk with older students who have suffered through the underclassmen classes. The career fairs and workshops at the conference have opened my eyes to personal and professional opportunities in this world. Getting to help others through SHPE is so rewarding and makes me feel good knowing I am helping potential engineers who will make breakthroughs in the field.
SHPE Familia is real and I am so glad I found a place at UNL where I feel so welcomed and loved.