SWE Meeting | Photo by Bethany Althauser | The Wright State Guardian
The Society of Women Engineers is one of the most long-standing engineering organizations in the country, with a total of 39,295 members in the United States alone. The society held an information session for potential new members on Sept. 7.
Empowering women
Dr. Julie Skipper, a former faculty member of Wright State and a current member of staff at the Air Force Institute of Technology, hosted the event, sharing a powerful presentation to describe what drives SWE and its benefits to those who join.
The mission of the organization is to empower women engineers to highlight the positive forces of engineering while demonstrating diversity and inclusion.
Skipper discussed the wage gap between men and women engineers and how this difference takes hold in daily practices or events.
“I personally have seen women almost become marginalized in meetings where they’re leading a team, but a male takes over and starts to dominate the conversation,” Skipper said. “In the spring, [global advocates] meet with our congressional leaders, and they tell those legislators what is important to women and how they can best support women in STEM.”
Shelby Ward, a previous student officer for SWE, also described the importance of empowering women in this field.
“Engineering tends to be a male-dominated field, and SWE acknowledged this and empowered its members to break this trend. It’s important to acknowledge this and support other female STEM students as they work through their education. I did experience this during my time in SWE, and it was very helpful,” Ward said.
Member resources
Joining the organization can be beneficial to students in numerous ways.
Besides getting to know and work alongside strong, like-minded women, members also gain access to the Advanced Learning Center. ALC is an online training resource with many diverse topics for students to choose from. Classes range from leadership development and career management to technical innovations and Dr. Skipper’s favorite, “How to Develop Thicker Skin.” The yearly SWE membership fee is $20.
Ward described the many ways that SWE benefited her personally.
“I was able to grow professionally, improve upon my leadership skills with my experiences as an officer, meet students who shared similar interests to me and help with community service projects for organizations in the Dayton area,” Ward said.
The future of SWE at Wright State
If students wish to participate in SWE at WSU, they will have to take action to make SWE an active organization.
“When I graduated with my bachelor’s [degree] in 2022, the club became inactive, as there were no students able to take on the positions of officers. This unfortunately means that these opportunities will not be available to students unless some students decide to take a leading role in SWE again,” Ward said.
In order to re-activate the organization, students must complete SORT training through the Student Involvement and Leadership Center. For more information, contact Courtney Laukitis, program manager of student organizations.
Dr. Skipper’s advice
Dr. Skipper encourages students to get involved at Wright State, even if it is not with SWE.
“It enriches your experience at college. Just reach out and find your group and develop friendships [to] feel more connected,” Skipper said.
Even if students do not have time to commit to an organization, Ward advises students to participate in a few campus activities to take a break from course assignments: talk to a few classmates and create a study group, ask a librarian for a book recommendation or relax and read at the library.
For more information about the national SWE organization, visit the organization’s website.
