This year, Our SWE Illinois section had the opportunity to attend the WE22 Conference in Houston, TX! We brought 54 members to the conference who all had a chance to attend workshops, participate in the career fair, network, and grow professionally. Some of the attendees from our section reflected on their experiences at the conference:
“WE22 was such a rewarding experience! Personally, I learned about how to "afford adulthood", attended sessions about water scarcity & sustainability, and learned more about how to be a leader. Each session taught me something new! However, I'd have to say that my favorite part was seeing other SWE Illinois members experience conference. Whether they had success at the career fair, learned something new in a session, or met a new friend, it was really rewarding to watch each of them experience conference in their own way!”
Leah Courtney
“This conference was an amazing opportunity to gain insight from so many women professionals in variety of different fields. I was able to take value from every conversation I had with keynote speakers, and SWE students that I met along the way. It was energizing to network with SWE members and learn about people with diverse backgrounds. In addition, the career fair was the highlight of the conference where I was able to talk to several companies, and not only have phenomenal conversations, but also learn about myself and how I interact with others. Through every interaction I was given the opportunity to improve my professional abilities. Overall amazing experience, excited for next year!”
Palak Khera
“This being my first year attending the WE conference, I was a bit nervous about what to expect. Upon arriving to the conference, I was overwhelmed by the amount of positivity and support given to me by SWEsters around the country! From meeting like-minded students from different schools, networking with some of my dream companies, and hearing from brilliant women during the sessions, the weekend was packed with excitement. Not only was I able to further my professional development, but I learned about mental health strategies, prioritizing self-care, and so much more while also being able to explore a new city. The conference was an amazing experience and I cannot wait for next year!”
Shaleen Vohra
“I love the conferences that SWE puts on, and WE22 was no different! There were some amazing information sessions where I was able to learn how to turn diversity into actionable items, how machine learning was used in different industries, and how to be my best professional self. In addition, I was able to connect with people from our own section, from other sections (there was an amazing event put on by the Houston section) and other leaders in engineering! It was super inspirational and I'm glad that I had an opportunity to attend.“
Eunice Chang
“My experience at WE22 was amazing this year! The career fair and the workshops helped ease my worries about post-grad life, especially the ones about personal finance and managing money. That's not something I've been taught in school, so it was a session I took a lot out of! Also, as a graduating senior, it's a valuable experience to speak to individuals in a place that I could be in in a year or so! WE Conference is such a unique opportunity I'd encourage any SWE member to take advantage of :)”
Apurva Chanda
Overall, we had an enriching experience and learnt a lot from the workshops ranging from various topics such as leadership success and early career development to mental health management strategies and post-grad tips! We also had the opportunity to attend the career fair at which SWE members networked with collegiates and professionals from over 100 top companies and graduate schools, and explored internship, career, and academic opportunities. Along with the amazing opportunities for personal and professional growth our SWEsters had, a few members from Team Tech also got to participate in a competition and presented about the project they worked on with United Airlines!
Our section won the following awards this year:
Outstanding Collegiate Member: Abby Culloton
Team Tech Competition - Honorable Mention (4th Place): OCR Application to Support Travel Health Requirements (United Airlines)
We are so proud of the hard work of our award winners, and the consistent dedication and enthusiasm of every member of SWE Illinois who made this conference a memorable one!
Joshmita Chintala