Be Professional 2020 - "Push Through"

On September 9th, SWE hosted one of their first professional development events of the year: Be Professional. But this annual event was turned upside down with the obstacles of the pandemic. How do you arrange a networking event without being able to meet in person? These are not only the challenges for this event, but for networking for college students as a whole. No longer can we make unexpected connections with the classmate sitting next to us in a huge lecture hall, or meet with a professor during their office hours, or chat with an alumna over coffee. Yet, despite all the changes, SWE is still finding ways to expand its members' network, and it started with this event. 

This year’s Be Professional theme was “Push Through”. It centered around questions like how to overcome hurdles in your path, how to turn a weakness into a strength, and overall how to keep on pushing through. Picking the theme was simple enough: the pandemic provided a commonality that all students, faculty, and employees are facing. But more importantly, it fostered an amazing conversation with our corporate representatives that made this event everything it was.

This year’s keynote address, given by Angie Schuler from S&C Electric, tackled this with advice that she learned over her life. Angie is very passionate about empowering others, especially women, in the field of STEM. Starting her career in electrical engineering, she moved up the ranks in S&C Electric to be the Vice President of Power Systems Solutions. Her speech recounted important events in her career and her life, and her words pushed the attendees to not persist in their passions but to also use their place as minorities to their advantage.

The biggest decision we had to make about Be Professional was how to foster networking with our company sponsors in a virtual world. In the past, this event has been extremely formal: with a huge room at the Union, professional attire, and small talk over a buffet-style dinner. Despite the lack of these elements, Be Professional still achieved the standard of professionalism. All the attendees showed up in professional attire, making our Zoom collage of faces look amazing, and invested in the breakout rooms and conversations happening. Our corporate sponsors, S&C Electric and ITW, kept the conversation flowing, chiming in with their quarantine experiences and answering any questions the attendees brought up. Overall, the atmosphere of the event lived up to its name. 

By the end of Be Professional, SWE had achieved what seemed impossible: virtual networking. The major takeaway from the event was that in order to be successful during this pandemic, you need to take your obstacles in stride and put yourself out there to make those connections. Everyone’s lives have been turned upside down, but that does not mean opportunities have stopped. It’s not as easy as it was in person, but it’s definitely not impossible. For all the SWE members struggling to make those connections, we challenge you to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Send that email to your dream company, message an alumna on LinkedIn, ask a professor to be your mentor… you can do it. Push through the pandemic and do the impossible.