Hello everyone!! Since it’s been on the top of my to-do list recently, I thought I’d show you the inside workings of SWE, Viterbi’s largest student organization (233 members at my last count), and give myself a nice little reminder of the things I need to accomplish in the process.
My SWE To-Do list, most of which I hope to accomplish in the next week or so.
This year, I was elected President of SWE at USC, and I am deeply honored to work with the amazing leaders of SWE and the many women engineers here at Viterbi. During my four years here, I’ve met such amazing women with touching stories and impressive ambitions, and I’m proud to call many of them my friends, who I’ve made through SWE.
I’m not ashamed to admit that I was very nervous to take this position. I served as a VP for two years before, but now I’m personally responsible for the direction the club takes. Our triumphs, I get to take credit for 🙂 But our mistakes, I accept the blame for.
Viterbi Ball Date Auction, that was so creepy. Very embarrassing moment for me here
So here’s the upcoming duties of mine to keep our org on track!
(1) Industry Advisory Board – This is a group of corporate representatives who give advice to the Center for Engineering DIversity about how to best prepare their members for jobs after they graduate. They also give excellent advice to the student organization and mentor us. I will be meeting with the 17 board members tomorrow to give a 5 minute presentation about the progress SWE has made on it’s goals since I saw them last fall. Their advice has helped me significantly in deciding the vision for our section.
http://prezi.com/jh4tv3evxsjz/swe-iab-9142012/
(2) Regional Conference – on March 1st-3rd, I will be traveling with 11 other SWE leaders (and future leaders!!) to Region B Conference in Salt Lake City. Cassandra and Caitlin will be going! Last year it was in Palm Springs. At the conference, we meet leaders from other collegiate and professional sections in our region, attend workshops to improve our leadership skills, troll for jobs at the career fair, and applaud our many awards!
SWE Region B Conference Spring 2012 in Palm Springs
(3)Â Tommy Awards – These are given out by USC for student organization who excel in areas like Professional Development, Leadership, Community Service, Academics, etc. The application is due next Friday, so I need to get cracking if I want SWE to get recognized for how awesome it is!
the Tommy Awards trophy!!
(4) Viterbi Talent Show – last year SWE enrolled a 7 woman acapella act called N’SWYNC singing a homemade jam of Backstreet’s “I Want You Back” and “Forget You” and “Gold Digger” I am trying my hardest to make this a tradition. Last year we were such a hit, we made it into the Viterbi Magazine!!!!
N’SWYNC Photo Shoot in RTH Lobby
(5) Section Report – Probably my most serious duty as president is to track all the events we do as a section, see how they align as a goal and write a monthly report to my higher-ups within the region :/
(6) Post Event Forms – This is how we track events, how many people went, who did we partner with, what went well and what didn’t. If Viterbi or the Undergraduate Student Government fund an event, they require Post Event Forms within 2 weeks. Also, these go to make our End of The Year Report which is documented and archived for future SWEsters to learn from. I need to bug Cassandra to make one for tonights event, Spring Evening With Industry!
Flower and Boeing alarm clock from SWE Spring Evening with Industry. Also won Boeing mug, water bottle, insulated bag!
(7) General Member’s Retreat – Honestly still deciding on the event and the day to do this. Right now, based on a poll I took of Officer Council, the most attractive ideas are laser tag, trampolines, or a murder mystery dinner, sometime in late April. That feels like a ways off but I know how fast things come up. In the Fall, we had a Yacht Party!
Yacht called the Tiki Mermaid, All Aboard for SWE Fall General Member’s Retreat!
(8) Potluck – This Sunday before our biweekly meeting, we’ll be having an Officer’s Potluck. Nothing fancy just a chance to catch up and eat dinner together. I’m bringing pizza rolls because I have no concept of heathy or home-cooked foods. I just need to send an email (always emails!!) asking what people will bringing and confirming whose house we’re meeting at 🙂
SWE SWAG – pen and compact mirror
If you made it all the way through this blog, hope you learned something about SWE, my life as President, and why I love this org so much!!!
Best,
Em
