Top 10 Reasons to attend the SHPE Conference...

This is by no means an all inclusive list, but considering I've been to the last 8 SHPE Conferences, I thought I might provide my two cents.

10:  More SHPE than you thought you could handle...

Good or bad, the SHPE Conference has an activity going on at pretty much every hour of the day.  If this is your first time attending a SHPE Conference, I guarantee you will struggle to decide what to attend.  I would prefer we reduced the number of offerings, and maybe in the future we will do this, but for now take advantage of the plethora of options.

 

 

9:  See Indianapolis

Believe it or not, there's more to see in Indianapolis than the Colts.... At least that's what they are saying now that Peyton Manning is gone.  Actually, Indy is a pretty cool town with fun night life and attractions.  If you force yourself to break away from the overwhelming amount of opportunities at the conference, I recommend you check out Indianapolis.

8:  Recruit Others

If you haven't gotten the courage to tell your company management "We need more Latinos!" now may be the time to do that... and if you want help with that conversation, I'd be happy to walk you through it.  Feel free to email me. 
Regardless, there is no better place to advocate for your company to thousands of potential Latino technical employees than the SHPE Conference.  Advocate, collect resumes, connect, interview and hire...

7:  Meet Latino Leaders

This event is chock full of leaders from Academia, Corporate America, Government, etc.  It's a once in a lifetime (ok maybe once a year) opportunity to meet the top leaders in the country.  Many of which are receiving our STAR awards!

6:  Inspire Others

Come and share your stories with thousands of Latinos who are probably a lot like you.  The vast majority of our members are 1st or 2nd generation citizens, first in their family to attend college, first to get an engineering degree, etc.  You're among pioneers!  Share your stories and hear all theirs!

5:  Get Inspired

I'm not sure what it is exactly... but every time I leave the SHPE Conference, I'm 100% confident I can change the world.... Actually everyone I know feels something very similar to this.  There is something powerful about 3500 Latino Engineers, Scientists and Mathematicians gathered together in the name of one mission.  It's a lot harder to explain than I thought.  But if you don't come away from the SHPE Conference inspired, you were not participating... 

4:  Workshops

More workshops than you can shake a stick at, the SHPE Conference is where you learn all the skills your University courses did not provide you.  For students, everything from resume and interview skills, to navigating the corporate environment.  For professionals, design skills, management skills, new trends in engineering, etc. 
Oh, I didn't mention all the competitions we have: Academic Olympiad, Extreme Engineering, Technical Paper/Poster Competitions... some pretty cool stuff...

 

 

 

 

3:  Events

Luncheons, Awards Shows, Breakfasts, etc. If you plan your schedule right, you might not have to eat outside of the conference at all.  Seriously there are some amazing events lined up and all of them are worth attending.  The trouble will be how to choose what you want to go to.  (I hear the President's breakfast and the Lifetime Member Reception are going to be really good)

2:  Change Careers or Start a New One

We have over 500 filled booths at the career fair and nearly as many interview booths nearby.  This is by far the biggest Latino Technical career fair in the country and you need to see it to believe it.  If you're looking to start a career or change careers, this could be the place to make it happen.  Many companies are poised and ready to make offers on the spot, so don't flake on your interviews!

1: Expand Your Network

In the end, the SHPE Conference is all about networking.  Really that's what SHPE is all about.  We are empowering because of the strength of our community.  When La Familia gets together, there's not much that cannot happen.  Utilize your time to meet new people, discover new careers, share your stories and make the most out of your SHPE membership.


I could probably come up with another 20 reasons to attend, but instead, why not add why you are attending to the comments section.  Hope to see you there!

REGISTER

Welcome Back Students!

To all the undergraduate and graduate students returning to school this fall.  This is a great opportunity to refresh your focus on academics and restart your path to achieving your goals.  And while you are only reading this because you are connected to SHPE, please be sure to balance your SHPE-work with your school-work.  The most important thing you can do for our community is to achieve your goals and become a model for others to emulate.  So when you have to make a decision between completing SHPE objectives or studying for an exam, the exam should take priority.

Today, only about 54% of Latinos who start a STEM degree, finish it in 5 years.  I know this is not true of our intelligent, resourceful and well connected SHPE student members.  But it is all of your job to make sure we change that statistic for our community. This will take the combined efforts of our undergrad, graduate and professional members.

Graduate students must connect with our undergrads and share your best practices and coach our undergrad student in academic discipline.  Professionals must be involved with our student chapters and at a minimum, share with them their career success and give them a light at the end of the tunnel.

Yes, we have a lot of work to do this year with community outreach, and I'm not asking you to stop doing this.  What I'm asking is for all of you to think about balance.  Do the hard work of delegating, coaching and share in the work and the success of your chapter together.  If we all work together, we can achieve our community goals and our academic goals. 

I am very proud of all of you for taking on the most challenging majors and the most rewarding careers.  I look forward to meeting you all at the SHPE National Conference (if you can reschedule your interfering midterms) and hearing about all your successes.