The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers has given me the opportunity to find people in circumstances similar to mine at USC and become part of an extremely positive group. SHPE is a national organization that strongly advocates networking and professional development for the Hispanic people pursuing, or already established in, engineering. My mentor, who works at Northrop Grumman, is a member of SHPE National and is a USC grad. He played a vital role in my attainment of an internship at such an awesome company.
You do not have to be hispanic to be part of this organization and it is a good org to be part of if you want to gain exposure or insight into career possibilities and opportunities for internships. Annually, there is a National Conference in Texas and it is a great bonding experience for the USC SHPE family. You also get to meet other members throughout the country from other Universities. The conference is made up of several events that help the student strengthen both leadership and technical skills. These events are led by recruiters and employees of engineering corporations which also creates several opportunities for networking. I am working on gaining the financial means to attend this conference and god willing, it will be an amazing experience.
The people of SHPE are Viterbi Engineering majors that are not only ridiculously intelligent, but are also very sociable and willing to have a good conversation. SHPE hosts weekly Study Nights at GFS 101 where there are generous tutors for just about every engineering related subject, who are there on their own time with a great attitude towards helping undergraduate students succeed in their courses.
The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers also holds socials where students get to unwind a bit and relieve some stress in an evening of fun and laughter. Recently, we went to Koreatown, near USC, and had some Korean BBQ. There was a great atmosphere at the restaurant and we had a blast. It is nice knowing there are students in Viterbi who you can do some serious studying with and, on the other hand, relax with when the storm calms. My only complaint is not having joined the organization sooner but I plan to join to E-board of the organization the moment the opportunity arises. The people and opportunities provided to me by SHPE makes it my favorite Student Involvement on campus.
Let me know if you have any questions about SHPE or if you want to know more about other Clubs and Orgs I am a part of.
Fight On!
