The mission of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Asian Connections Affinity Group (ACAG) is to support and empower those who identify as Asian or Pacific Islander (API) woman and allies of this community in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) education and careers. ACAG builds Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) awareness in the general SWE membership body in alignment with SWE’s Mission and Vision. Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/SWEAsiansAG!
2022 SWE Mission Awards
ACAG is the proud recipient of the Silver 2023 SWE Mission Award and the Best Practice Award for Outreach!!
FY23 Leadership Team
The Asian Connections AG Leadership Team is entirely comprised of both collegiate and professional members. Interested in getting involved? Apply here: http://bit.ly/ACAGVolunteer!
Tanvi Parikh
AG Co-Lead
Brooklyn Castillo
AG Co-Lead
Victoria Png
Awards and Recognition Lead
Shruti Nanda
Social Media Lead
Kaylena Pham
Community and Culture Lead
Jade Veth
Professional Development Lead
Nora Lin
Advisor
Jennifer Chen Morikawa
Advisor
Venessa Li
Advisor
Hang Loi
Advisor
History of the ACAG
- March 6, 2019: New AG Application was submitted
- May 9, 2019: Affinity Group was approved by the Board of Directors
- August 7, 2019: Asian Connections AG was launched
- August 7, 2020: 300 members milestone
- November 3, 2020: 400 members milestone
- June 14, 2021: 500 members milestone
- October 28th, 2023: 600 members milestone
Why the name Asian Connection?
The members of this group come from diverse experiences based on the environment in which they were raised: residing currently in an Asian country to immigrant to many generations in a western country. We also want to support inclusion of those who do not have an Asian heritage but grew up or are currently in an Asian country.
Affinity Groups
The SWE Affinity Groups (AGs) mission is to bring together communities that share similar interests and backgrounds that support the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) strategic goals of SWE. Website: https://affinitygroups.swe.org/
Want a quick introduction to all of the SWE Affinity Groups? Check out the links below.
- The Affinity Groups page in the SWE support portal
- The Affinity Groups page on the SWE website
- The 02/12/2019 Affinity Groups post on All Together
- The 02/19/2019 Affinity Groups post on All Together
Please contact affinitygroups@swe.org with any questions.
Become a Member
Opt-In to the SWE Asian Connections AG Listserv
Step 1: Navigate to https://portal.swe.org/s/login.
Step 2: Log in with your SWE Membership Portal credentials.
Step 3: On the “My Information” page, scroll down to “Communication Preferences.”
Step 4: Select the blue “Change” button on the right. Click the emails you would like to receive and remember to save.
Step 5: Make sure “Email Opt Out” is NOT selected. This will prevent you from receiving any emails from SWE Headquarters.
Become an Official SWE Member
Benefits of Membership:
- Discounted registration to SWE Annual and Local Conferences.
- Live professional development webinars that are also available as replays via SWE’s Advance Learning Center.
- Annual subscription to the award-winning SWE Magazine.
- Networking opportunities with practicing women engineers and other collegiates.
- An opportunity to develop your leadership and management skills.
- K-12 Outreach Volunteer Opportunities.
Professional Membership:
- Leadership Training and Experience.
- Career Management.
- Local Support via local SWE Affiliates & Sections.
Collegiate Membership:
- Eligibility for scholarships. More than $800,000 is awarded each year.
- SWE Career Center for internship and full-time employment search and career planning.
- Regularly scheduled meetings that allow you to get advice from fellow members on everything from time management to graduate schools, all while making lifelong friendships.
Calendar
Keep an eye out for upcoming events!
Past Events
Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month
2022 APAHM Celebrations
Highlights:
- Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling of Senior Leadership: To celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, the SWE Asian Connections Affinity Group has made their WE21 session “Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling of Senior Leadership” available to the general public!
- Diverse Podcast: When Asia Meets America Pt. 1: Sarah Koenig sits down with Nora Lin and Dr. Vidya Chamundeswari Narasimhan. They discuss their moves to the United States, the “culture shock” they experienced and how moving here helped them defy the expectations of Asian Culture.
- Diverse Podcast: When Asia Meets America Pt. 2: Sarah Koenig, talks to Marina D’souza, Dung Nguyen and Vanessa Li about how they navigated their high school and college years, how it was like living away from family and tips on finding their first job.
- Global Transitions and International Pursuits: In this podcast, Ranul Jain will discuss my various experiences and share what I think is really the trick to adjusting to a new country, climate, and life: embracing it with an open mind.
2021 APAHM Celebrations
Highlights:
- SWE Community Spotlight: Asian Connections Affinity Group
- An Interview With New SWE Director Kalyani Mallela
- Aileen Fong Shane: SWE’s First Asian American Member
- Words of Wisdom for the Next Generation of AAPI Engineers
Podcasts:
- SASE CEO Khánh Vu on Allyship for the AAPI Community
- Past SWE President Gloria Montano on Assimilation and Self-Acceptance
- SWE’s New Directors on Diversifying Representation in SWE Leadership
Articles:
2020 APAHM Celebrations
Articles and Podcasts:
- Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
- Three Generations of Women Engineers: A Mother’s Day Reflection
- Podcast: Celebrating APA Heritage Month with Past SWE President, Nora Lin
- Podcast: Balancing Work and Mom Life as an Engineer- APAHM
Member Highlights:
- Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: Highlighting Asian American Engineers Pt. 1
- Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: Highlighting Asian American Engineers Pt. 2
- Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: Highlighting Asian American Engineers Pt. 3
- Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: Highlighting Asian American Engineers Pt. 4
Resources
Awards
SWE Individual Awards 2024
Applications are open: January 2- March 1 11:59pm CT
Nominators will be contacted with results by: June 30
More information: https://swe.org/awards/individual-awards/
SWE Infographic in Chinese
Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers
The Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE) is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to advancing Asian Americans in STEM to achieve their full career potential. SASE provides API-targeted leadership development, STEM competitions, award recognition, and community. As the premier API STEM organization, we are proud to serve our rapidly expanding community of over 10,000 people, including professionals, students, companies, and government organizations.
