Two weeks ago, 33 members and one alumnus of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) ventured the many miles to Detroit to attend the 2014 SHPE Conference. The conference serves as a major event for the SHPE, and the largest technical and career conference for Hispanics in the country.
This year’s conference participants were engaged from morning until night. SHPE members attended workshops, met with recruiters from top companies such as Verizon, Exxon-Mobil, BP, and GM; went on corporate tours, and even had interviewers with companies for potential career offers.
Tom Cruz, president of SHPE, Vice President of External Relations Jorge Rojas and SHPE leader Suzett Lee, sat down to discuss the logistics of the trip, the opportunities that the conference offered, and what they plan to bring back to both SHPE and the Stevens community.
How did you go about getting funding and approval for 33 people?
Tom: We’re typically allotted funding for 20 people. But since there was such a great interest in the conference, I went to a SGA meeting and expressed my reasons as to why additional funding should be provided. I provided examples as to how so many people had been successful at this conference, so they helped us out. We also have corporate sponsorships from Verizon and Exxon-Mobil.
How would you sum up the conference? What was different this year compared to previous conferences?
Tom: What was special about this year was that it was our 40th anniversary as an organization. The proposed bylaws were just approved for a merger between SHPE Incorporated and SHPE Foundation. There were a lot of networking opportunities with 6,000 people.
Suzett: This year’s conference was actually the largest conference in its history.
What types of workshops did you all participate in?
Jorge: There was a huge range. Some were about specific technologies to leadership development, to teamwork, to solving technical challenges.
Do you feel that you’ve bonded with your SHPE familia, either from your chapter or from other chapters?
Tom: We like to pride ourselves on our SHPE familia. We want to have a support system for each other, both on a personal and professional level. We had a mandatory dinner night at Buffalo Wild Wings. It was really great.
Suzett: We also had some alumni with us who were actually recruiting for companies. We’re very close with our chapters from NJIT and Rutgers. And as involved as Tom and I are, we know a lot of people from all over the country. I was able to reunite with people from Georgia Tech and Florida.
What’s the most valuable thing that you will bring back to Stevens?
Tom: For me, I learned that it’s really about how you present yourself to these recruiters. You can have the same resume or same skills, but if you know how to correctly communicate your skills and what you can contribute to the company, they’ll love you.
Jorge: Besides that, it’s also your mindset going in. If you go in wanting to get a job and prepare for it, you’re going to get so much out of it. At this conference, you have to be aware of who you’re around and who you’re talking to. In Detroit, we were coming back from on the subway, and we ran into one of the recruiters. That’s actually how someone got an interview. It’s all dependent on your mindset, you have to be prepared for these opportunities.
Suzett: I went to the conference as a freshman unprepared, and going to this conference, you have to be prepared to do all the work. In Detroit, I was busy from 8 in the morning to 2 in the morning preparing for things. It was mostly me just following my own schedule. You really have to be prepared for that type of environment. It is about knowing how to sell yourself and being confident, but you really have to be ready for anything.
What would you tell a freshman who wants to go to this conference who may not have the type of experience as older students?
Jorge: Ask questions. Go in knowing what you want. Do not be afraid to go up to people and ask about the industry. The recruiters will guide you, and this will show your drive and determination. Some people like that aggressive attitude.
Tom: As a freshman, you have to be aggressive. Recruiters are not specifically looking for freshman, but that doesn’t mean the opportunities don’t exist.
What’s next?
Tom: We want to share our experiences with our SHPE members. We gain a lot as an e-board attending workshops, and we want to bring all that we can back to campus for our members.
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Now that the SHPE conference has come and gone, our campus’s chapter has much to look forward to in the next coming months. The e-board has planned a multitude of events, including a retreat that will focus on team bonding and communication and a conference here on Stevens campus. Next semester, members will be attending the regional conference in Washington DC. The SHPE members work diligently to promote professionalism and camaraderie and the group’s success at the SHPE conference exemplifies these strong values.
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