On Saturday, Sept. 28, students from five Wisconsin colleges and universities gathered in O’Brien Hall for the second annual Marquette Society of Women Engineers Regional Convention, hosted by student leaders in Marquette’s chapter of Society of Women Engineers (SWE). The event was organized to bring students from around Wisconsin together to build connections, learn from each other and professional speakers, and discover new opportunities for their personal and professional development.
Following the theme of “Your True Potential: Embrace, Empower and Excel,” attendees heard from four professional speakers, two professional panels, and connected with employers during a career fair during the program. Speakers included Elaine Schomburg LaFleur from Walt Disney World, Michal Riege from Scan-Pac Manufacturing, Abby Prince Atwood from LeaderShape and Alyssa Pease from raSmith.
Students affiliated with Society of Women Engineers chapters, Women in Engineering chapters, Minorities in STEM and similar groups at Marquette University, Milwaukee School of Engineering, UW-Milwaukee, UW-Madison and Carthage College were invited to attend at no-cost.
“It was so powerful and inspiring to see so many women in STEM in one room. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched members from around the state come together and create new relationships with one another,” says Kenna Skaggs, president of Society of Women Engineers at Marquette and a current undergraduate majoring in construction engineering. “Our goal for this event was to create a more personal and intimate experience compared to national conferences, allowing participants to dive deeper into a particular topic and build stronger connections.”
Building on the inaugural event in 2023, this year’s event was designed to prioritize networking between students and professionals. From the career fair, panels and speakers, seven organizations were present to support students in their personal and professional growth. Platinum sponsors included ABB, Illinois Tool Works Inc. and Komatsu.
“It was an honor to speak at this event, and my hope was to share advice and insights that might help them on their journeys toward achieving their goals,” says Elaine Schomburg LaFleur, senior project manager at Walt Disney World and keynote for Marquette’s convention. “I’m deeply passionate about supporting women in STEM fields, where they often feel like they don’t belong, yet bring invaluable and unique perspectives to problem-solving. I’m excited to see all the incredible things the women who attended this event will accomplish.”
In addition to this regional convention, Marquette’s chapter of Society of Women Engineers continues to lead social and professional programming to support current and future STEM students. Current initiatives include a mentoring program for new students in Marquette’s Opus College of Engineering, as well as a mentoring program to support middle school students at Notre Dame School of Milwaukee.