Moving from cold Utah to sunny Florida, the BYU SHPE chapter attended the national convention held in November. The participating students not only developed as engineers, but these students learned how to increase their chances of employment after their graduation.
Seventeen members from the BYU Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) participated in the SHPE National Convention in Orlando, Florida from November 10-14 in 2021. Funding from a Weidman Center Student Leadership grant enabled these students to compete, network, and learn various workplace skills without worrying about finances. By removing this concern, all students, whether freshman or senior, could enjoy the event and develop as engineers.
On the first day, two members competed in different teams for an innovation competition. Mechanical Engineering senior and president of the chapter, Moises Campos helped design a new safety mechanism for a modern car and won first place with his group. Fellow chapter member Santiago Gomez Paz, a freshman in Computer Science: Data Science, placed third in the innovation challenge, connecting him with companies such as Samsung.
Those who didn’t compete were still awarded by the new relationships they would have been unable to develop had they not attended. “I was shocked by the success of going to the SHPE convention…” Senior in Computer Science: Software Engineering Bethaly Tenango Anaya said. “I remember always hearing about networking, and how important it was, but never really practiced it until the convention. I think this experience helps and prepares us a lot for the next step of our career path. SHPE convention was a life-changing experience.”
Students in the chapter agreed that the trip made a difference for their studies and perspectives on engineering careers; ultimately, the convention provided them with the tools to excel as engineers. Many students not only left with these new tools, but they also returned with job offers and potential positions at various companies. Overall, the chapter looks forward to returning for the next convention.