The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is a national organization that has been based in the U. of New Haven campus since 2011 and has been growing since then. SWE is an engineering-based organization with the mission to support women engineers on campus.
Savanna Pantoja, a sophomore mechanical engineering student and president of SWE, said that the way to empower future women engineers on campus is by “providing professional and social support.”
Some of that support includes hosting monthly design challenges and social events such as their Cardboard Tower Competition held on Sept. 25. Pantoja said that events like these are beneficial to members’ growth.
Pantoja prioritizes growth, not just for the members, but also for the organization. “I want to focus on community outreach so that we can reach the younger generation of female students and show them that engineering is for everyone,” said Pantoja. “I would also like SWE to grow in numbers since the population of female engineers at UNH is low. We need to stick together to provide support for each other.”
Alexis Fernandez, a sophomore mechanical engineering major and the vice president of SWE is another member that thinks there is room for growth. Fernandez hopes for the organization to be the largest on campus, especially since Pantoja mentioned that the population of women engineers on campus is so small.
Due to this, Fernandez, along with other members, is working hard on events and recruitment opportunities to not only reel in members, but also provide moments of growth for anyone interested. For instance, Fernandez said that she had spoken with an employee from Medtronic, a healthcare technology company, about them coming to the university and speaking with current and prospective SWE members and giving hands-on experience with some of their products.
Fernandez also mentioned attending the annual SWE conferences, which this year will take place in Los Angeles, Calf. from Oct. 26 to Oct. 28. The three-day conference allows women engineers to come together for professional networking and career-relevant programs.
“I hope that in five years, every member of the organization can go to the SWE conference,” Fernandez said. Fernandez added that New Haven’s SWE was given the “wonderful opportunity” to attend this year’s conference.
Aside from hosting and attending events, many members bond with members of the organization; one of those members being Amnaq Al-Azdee, a first year mechanical engineering major and the media director of SWE.
Al-Azdee said, “I have been able to deepen my relationship with my friends who are members in this club, but I have also made a lot of new friends through SWE.”
Since Al-Azdee was able to deepen her relationships with current members, she feels motivated to interest more women engineers to join so they can build friendships and find an important community. Al-Azdee said that doing advertisements and social media posts “would be a way for me to find fellow female engineers who are going through or have gone through the same struggles as me.”
While the organization is geared toward women engineers, all are welcome to join and attend SWE events. Check out their events on Charger Connection and their Instagram, newhaven_swe. SWE holds general meetings every Monday at 4:30 p.m. in Buckman 116.