This past Wednesday, Stevens students had the opportunity to help support the Society of Women Engineers while enjoying delicious frozen yogurt. 16 Handles Fro-Yo bar is a small business that frequently helps Stevens groups by hosting fundraisers. 16 Handles agreed to donate 20% of all proceeds for the night to the Society of Women Engineers. Sally Rae Goode, treasurer of SWE, stated that the money will be directed towards community service projects and future events. “Hopefully, SWE will use some of the money from this fundraiser to buy supplies that we will use to teach a local Girl Scout troop all about engineering.” She said that the Society reached out to 16 Handles and they were “more than willing to oblige.”
Jocelyn and Alex, two store managers working during the event, stated that 16 Handles hosts many events for the Stevens student body groups. According to Jocelyn, many students had attended the event, especially during the first hour. “Honestly, we hold these types of events because we know it’s the right thing to do.” And there’s no doubt that Stevens students seize these opportunities; small groups including athletes, couples, male students, and SWE members all came out to support the event. Roma Shah, a freshman and a new member of the Society of Women Engineers, commented, “I heard about this event and knew that it would be really great to participate.”
Even the owner of the frozen yogurt bar, Rita Singer made herself available to discuss her intentions of opening the doors of her business to the Society of Women Engineers. “I think having these events really fosters a great relationship between the students at Stevens and local businesses. We help each other out, and it really shows how great of a community Hoboken is.”
Sally Rae Goode made it clear that there will be more fundraisers to come for SWE this year. “We are also looking into fundraising at other local places in Hoboken. We’ve spoken to Gio’s and hopefully we can pull something together just as successful.”
The Society of Women Engineers is the driving force that establishes the engineering field as a highly desirable career path for women. SWE empowers women to succeed and advance in those aspirations and be recognized for their life-changing contributions and achievements as engineers and leaders. Fundraisers such as these help reach the group’s goals, which include keeping the members of SWE at Stevens dedicated and committed to growing the organization, as well as helping individuals grow into strong women leaders in the engineering world.
