NSBE National Conference!

I just want to start off by saying that NSBE Nationals is by far one of the best experiences I’ve had since at USC, and it’s definitely because of the people. For those of you who aren’t familiar with NSBE, it stands for the National Society of Black Engineers, and our mission is “to increase the number of culturally responsible Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community.” This year, the 44th national conference was held in good ol’ Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. If you were to ask me what was in Pittsburgh before I went for the conference, I would tell you the Steelers. Now, after spending 4 glorious days in the city, if you were to ask me that same question, my answer would be the Steelers, a Heinz factory, and a LOT of bridges.

It was very cold, and the 30 of us USC students were less than prepared to face 30 degree weather… But besides the weather, the conference was great! The career fair was full of top tier companies, and many of our members left with on-site interviews and/or job offers under their belts! I, along with 4 other members, placed 3rd in the academic tech bowl, and as a chapter as a whole, we won regional and national chapter of the year! Dean Jones and Dean Pinkston also flew out and joined us at the conference, throwing us an amazing dinner where we were able to connect with other USC NSBE alumni. The best part of the conference though, as with any conference, was the chapter bonding. It was nice getting to know other members I didn’t get to talk to much due to always being so busy with school and other involvements. Now I just have to wait another 365 days until the 45th National Conference in Detroit!