The Society of Women Engineers is a student organization that tries to create a community for women engineers. SWE helps women advance professionally, volunteer or participate in leadership opportunities.
Mommy, Me, & SWE
One of the outreach events that SWE hosts every year is “Mommy, Me, & SWE”. The event is aimed towards younger girls (grades 1-3) and their moms to introduce them to STEM with the help of SWE volunteers. They also talk about how they can keep their daughter interested in STEM as they grow up and how they can incorporate it into their daily lives.
Secretary for SWE, Jena DeRung, said “The importance of Mommy, Me, & SWE is to show girls that they can like science, be involved in it, and have fun with it. When you think of math and science, some kids think it is boring. It’s good for young girls to know that it can be something to enjoy.”
Jena said that outreach events like this bring great opportunities for mothers and daughters to bond. The fact that they are doing it together is so important. “At the end of the day, the little girls love showing their moms what they made,” said Jena.
Outreach
Jena is a junior at UMD and is majoring in chemical engineering. She joined SWE as a freshman to meet people that had similar interests as her, but also to volunteer and take part in the leadership opportunities.
Her favorite part about doing outreach is the hands-on interaction she gets with the kids. She said she loves seeing their faces light up when they eventually figure out how to do a project. Jena loves to work with kids, but she also thinks it’s important to give back to the community. “Doing something that makes the community feel good, makes me feel good,” said Jena.
Participation
Jena encourages other student organizations to participate in outreach events or create an event of their own. The Swenson Outreach office and team is great. They do a great job in helping student organizations create and promote the event with the community. Jena says “Just go for it. If you plan it well, the participants will enjoy it and so will you.”