SWENext High School Leadership Academy (SHLA)

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The SWENext High School Leadership Academy (SHLA) is an engaging virtual year-round program that builds self-confidence and resilience among high school students interested in engineering and technology degrees and provides multiple opportunities to network with peers, mentors, role models, and industry professionals. The program includes five essential core content tracks: 

  1. Leadership development
  2. College preparation
  3. STEM pathway opportunities
  4. Self-development
  5. Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging

How to Apply

SHLA registration is now on a rolling basis. In order to participate in the SHLA program, all participants are required to join SWENext (it’s free!)

Here’s what past participants have said of their SHLA experience!

FY23 SHLA Schedule

Monday, January 9, 2023

SHLA Kickoff Orientation

SHLA Kickoff Orientation

Participants will meet with the SWENext Programs Committee Leadership Team to learn more about SWENext, SWENext Clubs, SHLA and the expectations of the program. Mary Zeis, the chair emeritus of the SWENext Programs Committee, will share her personal story and engineering pathway to encourage the girls to get plugged in and take on the full SHLA commuity experience!

Speakers

Mary Zeis

Chemical engineer, Chair Emeritus of the SWENext Programs Committee
Mary T. Zeis has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. She worked for Procter & Gamble in Research &Development on brands like Tide, Dawn, Crest, and Pampers. She is a volunteer leader for SWE focused on the SWENext Program and STEM Outreach. Mary is a SWE Fellow and Life member of SWE.
Mary T. Zeis has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. She worked for Procter & Gamble in Research &Development on brands like Tide
Monday, January 9, 2023

Logging In To Your Future: SHLA Opening Keynote

Logging In To Your Future: SHLA Opening Keynote

Get ready for a phenomenal year ahead as we build excitement for the SHLA program together empowering participants to develop their leadership skills! This session will show participants how to find their leadership style and individual pathway to success. This session will be 20 minutes followed by a 15-minute Q&A.

Speakers

Kyla Guru

Cybersecurity leader and found of GirlCon Tech
Kyla Guru is 20 years old and already reimagining the future of cybersecurity. When she was 14 years old, Kyla discovered her passion for human-centered cybersecurity, discovering that 90% of cyberattacks were due to human error. To combat this, Kyla founded Bits N’ Bytes Cybersecurity Education Corp (BNBCE), an international 501(c)(3) that distributes curriculum to schools and sustains partnerships with corporations like Facebook and IBM, and educational platforms to increase training/awareness in cybersecurity and privacy. Kyla has championed her message for empowering individuals in cyber on national/international stages including TEDxChicago, NIST’s NICE Conference, RSAC-USA and Singapore 2019. She is also the co-founder of GirlCon Tech, an international conference that unites industry professionals and students annually to discuss bridging the gender gap. For her impact-driven work, Kyla has been honored as Crain Chicago’s Top 50 in Tech, a Stanford She++ fellow, a 2018 Global Teen Leader, and a 2019 Harvard Book Prize Award winner. Kyla is also a student at Stanford University studying Computer Science and International Security.
Kyla Guru is 20 years old and already reimagining the future of cybersecurity. When she was 14 years old
Tuesday, January 31, 2023

SHLA Meetup #1: Opportunities & Connections

SHLA Meetup #1: Opportunities & Connections

SWENext Influencers are student leaders that share their best practices and experiences participating in SWE’s K-12 signature programming to SWE/SWENext audiences and partners. SWENext Influencers will design, plan and lead monthly SHLA Meetups where they will engage in peer-to-peer networking. In addition to this opportunity, SHLA participants are required to provide monthly contributions to the group discussion page sharing their experience and resources. SWENext Influencers will have until the end of the month to plan and execute this networking session. SHLA Meetups are as long as students are engaged, or a minimum of 20 minutes. Please note participants will receive an updated schedule for these sessions will be scheduled as they are finalized by each team of influencers per month.

Speakers

Willow M.

SWENext Influencer

Vanessa A.

SWENext Influencer
title SWENext High School Leadership Academy (SHLA) - high school leadership
Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Shifting the Culture: How To Advocate For Others Without Feelings of Personal Failure

Shifting the Culture: How To Advocate For Others Without Feelings of Personal Failure

This session will address the challenges that come with advocating for others. Oftentimes, society will create toxic workplace dynamics where an individual can feel like their experience isn’t valued or respected with little to no support. Also, individuals might feel tokenism where there can only be one woman, person of color, or LGBTQIA+ in a program or company. This discussion will cover learning how to be an advocate for others, respecting different perspectives, and celebrating the accomplishments of others while recognizing that it doesn’t diminish one’s own accomplishments. This session will be 30 minutes of content followed by a 20-minute Q&A.

Speakers

Deysi Melgar

Aviation Professional
Deysi Melgar came to the U.S. from Mexico at age 7 and developed a love for math. She also loved acting, singing, and dancing, and chose to attend a high school for performing arts, where she was drawn to the technical side of theater. Deysi never considered a career in STEM, until her work on the PBS Emmy® and Peabody Award-winning TV series Design Squad. Deysi is a graduate of Wheaton College (Norton, MA) with a BA in Physics. Deysi works at Denver International Airport managing various airline ground operations. Her passion for aviation has led Deysi to obtain her private pilot’s certificate, with an end goal of one day flying private aircraft.
Deysi Melgar came to the U.S. from Mexico at age 7 and developed a love for math. She also loved acting
Monday, February 13, 2023

SHLA Meetup #2

SHLA Meetup #2

SWENext Influencers are student leaders that share their best practices and experiences participating in SWE’s K-12 signature programming to SWE/SWENext audiences and partners. SWENext Influencers will design, plan and lead monthly SHLA Meetups where they will engage in peer-to-peer networking. In addition to this opportunity, SHLA participants are required to provide monthly contributions to the group discussion page sharing their experience and resources. SWENext Influencers will have until the end of the month to plan and execute this networking session. SHLA Meetups are as long as students are engaged, or a minimum of 20 minutes. Please note participants will receive an updated schedule for these sessions will be scheduled as they are finalized by each team of influencers per month.

Speakers

Kavya V.

SWENext Influencer

Lydia D.

SWENext Influencer
title SWENext High School Leadership Academy (SHLA) - high school leadership
Monday, February 27, 2023

Finding Your Winning “Key Codes”: Choosing The Right Steps For You

Finding Your Winning “Key Codes”: Choosing The Right Steps For You

This session will discuss how to make decisions in difficult situations. Participants will develop conflict management skills and learn how to build confidence to choose their own path even when their environment isn’t set up for success. Participants will learn how to pull in their funds of knowledge, informal and formal mentors and use methods that will set them up for finding their pathway forward. This session will be a “living room” discussion with one speaker and one SWENext Influencer for a 25 minute open forum followed by a 20-30 minute Q&A. Duration: 60 minutes.

Speakers

Jamila Parham

Civic Tech Leader
Jamila’s journey as The Tech Unicorn ™ began as a shy gamer and aspiring techie with little to no resources to pursue her dream. To the present day, an award-winning tech leader, STEM advocate, and daughter of Chicago. Jamila received a Bachelor of Science from DePaul University in Computer Graphics and Animation. She holds a Master of Information Systems Management with a concentration in Project Management from Keller Graduate School. Jamila has dedicated her 15 + year career to becoming a civic tech leader delivering technology solutions across various industries. Jamila transitioned from her post as an IT Director at the City of Chicago to serve as a Technical Program Manager at Microsoft. She currently leads digital transformations, business continuity, and cloud computing solutions in the Justice and Public Safety Sector. All the other times, she is affectionately known as The Tech Unicorn. Jamila is a public servant, tech ecosystem builder, and champion for diversity and inclusion. She advocates on behalf of under-represented and under-valued communities to address the lack of diversity in STEM. She has dedicated much of her life to giving back to her community and teaming up with amazing organizations around the world. Jamila is the founder of The Tech Unicorn™, an STEM Education and Impact company created to amplify voices, advance marginalized communities, and inspire careers and entrepreneurship in STEM-related fields. The Tech Unicorn is on a mission to close the opportunity gap in STEM for youth, women, and people of color by educating, breaking down barriers, and providing access to resources through mentorship, and personal & professional development programs. The Tech Unicorn has driven programming with over 50 + organizations such as Chicago Women in Tech Convention, Oakton Community College, Chicago STEM Academy, and Arizona State University to name a few. The Tech Unicorn has collaborated with Harvard Business School’s Digital Initiative to participate in case analysis sessions to address barriers in the technology industry. The Tech Unicorn has reached over 12,000+ students, women, and, young professionals here in Chicago and beyond thanks to strategic partnerships and programs. The Tech Unicorn™ was recognized by Women Tech Founders as Advocate of the Year and Verizon as one of ten brilliant men and women breaking stereotypes in their professions. In 2019, Jamila was honored as a Madame C.J. Walker Power15 Awardee and Future CIO of the Year Nominee by the Women In IT Awards USA. Her STEM Advocacy work gained The Tech Unicorn recognition as a She Rocks It Foundation and Women Tech Founders Advocate of the Year awardee. One of Jamila’s favorite quotes is “If all the good and talented people leave a place, that place will be left without hope”.
Jamila's journey as The Tech Unicorn ™ began as a shy gamer and aspiring techie with little to no resources to pursue her dream. To the present day
Monday, March 13, 2023

CTRL + ALT + DEL: How to Reboot to Manage Your College, Work and Personal Life

CTRL + ALT + DEL: How to Reboot to Manage Your College, Work and Personal Life

This session will feature a panel of SWE collegians that will share information and advice for students planning to major in engineering or technology in college. The goal of this session will be to provide participants, particularly first-generation students, with a toolkit of resources to prevent the burnout phase that every college student experiences. Students will learn to create healthy habits and goals to ensure successful completion of engineering programs. This session will be 30 minutes of content followed by a 20-minute Q&A.

Speakers

Ayonnah Tinsley

STEAM Advocate, Author and Collegian
Ayonnah Tinsley is an 19-year-old advocate for STEAM education with her biggest achievement being publishing her first children’s book titled, “This Is What an Engineer Looks Like”. Her book shows younger students more diversity in STEAM careers. During quarantine, she has helped nonprofits and elementary schools with STEAM education through workshops and interviews with engineers. She currently attends the University of Southern California studying arts, technology and the business of innovation.
Ayonnah Tinsley is an 19-year-old advocate for STEAM education with her biggest achievement being publishing her first children's book titled

Hajirah Nadeem

Founder of CISTEM, Speaker and Advocate
Hajirah is a freshman at the University of Michigan, intending to major in Electrical Engineering. She is the founder of CISTEM, an organization working to bring STEM education access to ESL, Muslim, and refugee students from Title One Schools. She is a member of the Society of Women Engineers Chapter at UMich and has worked to lead shadowing days, showcases, and other events. In her spare time, she has been training towards getting her third-degree black belt in Tang Soo Do, having become the highest-ranking Muslim woman within her karate institution. She hopes to one day work within the automotive, robotics, or software industry, working towards making positive change and supporting local communities through empathic design. She has worked as an Instructional Facilitator for Kode with Klossy and is a Girls Who Code Alumni. She was a speaker at NASA’s 2022 Lights On Afterschool Event, a National Award winner for NCWIT’s Aspirations in Computing Awards, and has been recognized by the White House for her work in supporting the growth of women in STEM.
Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Unmute Your Microphone: How To Prevent Burnout By Speaking Up!

Unmute Your Microphone: How To Prevent Burnout By Speaking Up!

Have you ever experienced burnout but felt you MUST keep pushing yourself to handle it ALL? Students, particularly girls, often deal with gender stereotypes, imposter syndrome, expectations of their family on top of expectations for themselves! Is it because advocating for themselves makes them uncomfortable, so in turn, they become uninterested and unmotivated to do so? Or do girls not know exactly how to ask for help without thinking others feel they are incapable of handling their responsibilities? Regardless of the reason, it is time to champion for yourself by SPEAKING UP! You can use self-advocacy to support changes that you want to see at your high school, within your courses, in how you learn, and beyond. The best part is you don’t have to do it alone! It can be intimidating speaking up for yourself and is easier to stay silent; however, YOU CAN DO IT! This workshop will equip you with the tools to recognize your value and to harness the power of your own voice to help master self-advocacy. You will find ways to learn more about yourself, your needs, and how to get what you need for the betterment of yourself and others. It’s time to speak up for what you want, what you need, and ultimately what you deserve. This session will be a 30-minute workshop followed by a 20-minute Q&A Duration: 60 minutes.

Speakers

Dr. Kori Grayson

STEM Diversity Advocate and Post-doc Researcher
Dr. Korie Grayson is a biomedical engineer, chemical engineering researcher, and diversity advocate in STEM. Korie is passionate about increasing the number of underrepresented minorities in STEM by illustrating that #representationmatters. She is a first-generation student and proud alumna of the HBCU Norfolk State University, where she earned her BS in Chemistry (2012). Korie obtained her MS (2017) and PhD (2020) in Biomedical Engineering from Cornell University where she studied cancer drug resistance in 2D and 3D prostate cancer cell culture environments. As a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan in Chemical Engineering, her research focused on the evaluation of novel nano- and microparticles for therapy in acute inflammatory disease and cancer. Currently, Korie is a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow at the National Science Foundation in the new Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships Directorate.
Monday, March 27, 2023

SHLA Meetup #3

SHLA Meetup #3

SWENext Influencers are student leaders that share their best practices and experiences participating in SWE’s K-12 signature programming to SWE/SWENext audiences and partners. SWENext Influencers will design, plan and lead monthly SHLA Meetups where they will engage in peer-to-peer networking. In addition to this opportunity, SHLA participants are required to provide monthly contributions to the group discussion page sharing their experience and resources. SWENext Influencers will have until the end of the month to plan and execute this networking session. SHLA Meetups are as long as students are engaged, or a minimum of 20 minutes. Please note participants will receive an updated schedule for these sessions will be scheduled as they are finalized by each team of influencers per month.
Monday, April 10, 2023

SWENext Connect-College Readiness

SWENext Connect-College Readiness

This SWENext Connect will be a unique, immersive experience that will get students ready for an selecting an engineering program! Students will participate in a 20-minute virtual “field trip” to each SWE panelist’s college campus. Students will be placed in groups, or circles that will highlight a different campus/SWE section. Students will have an opportunity explore the campus and ask questions at the end for 10 minutes. SHLA participants will have an additional 30-40 minutes mentoring session (separated by grade level). Mentors will share their expertise/college experience and cover “milestones to college” info sheets as “how to” guide. Mentors will also offer practical advice on how to apply tools learned in session on how to maintain school/work/life balance.
Monday, April 17, 2023

SWENext Connect presents…Beat the Algorithm: How to Stand Out & Nail The Interview

SWENext Connect presents…Beat the Algorithm: How to Stand Out & Nail The Interview

You’ve just received an email or phone call from your dream company or school…”Congratulations, you’ve been selected for the next step in the candidate process. We would like you to come in for an interview!” After your initial excitement, you might immediately feel anxious about what you should say, how you should dress and what exactly they are looking for! The goal of this session will focus on preparing students for speaking opportunities, leadership positions, internships, job shadowing or college admission interviews. Participants will build confidence by learning tips, tricks and resources they will put into direct action in a mock interview with real engineering and STEM professionals. This workshop will be 30 minutes of content followed by a 25 minute mock interview and Q&A.

Speakers

Tamara Robertson

Speaker, Engineer, TV host and Actor
Prior to joining the mainstream maker movement, Tamara spent a decade in corporate engineering where she was pivotal in creating Women in Leadership mentorship programs. During this time she noted a lack of women so in 2015, she transitioned full time to outreach in hopes of inspiring more young women to pursue S.T.E.M. careers. It was during this time that she was given the opportunity to battle it out for a chance to join the Mythbusters legacy where her lifetime as a tinkerer and collector of skills landed her as the only female finalist and 2 x MVP winner. Since then has become one of the leading female science hosts and engineers on the Science Channel lending her talents to Scijinks with Johnny Galecki, Mythbusters 2.0 with Brian Louden and Jon Lung and most recently on Mythbusters Jr. with Adam Savage.
Prior to joining the mainstream maker movement
Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Preview Your Future: A Day In The Life of An Engineer

Preview Your Future: A Day In The Life of An Engineer

Turner Construction engineering and/or STEM professionals are here to tell their story! Students will be able to discover and deepen their understanding of their STEM identity by learning what it is REALLY like working as an engineer. This will be a 30-40 minute discussion following by an opportunity for students to ask questions for 20 minutes.

Speakers

Ruby Lopez

Project Engineer, Turner Construction
Ruby Lopez joined Turner Construction as a Field engineer in 2014. Today, she is a Project Engineer with experience on a variety of commercial and healthcare projects. Ruby works closely with all project stakeholders and is responsible for managing the project budget and to ensure every element meets the project requirements. Ruby was born in Ecuador and moved to the United States when she was 8 years old. She is the oldest of three kids and she was the first in her family to earn a College and Master’s degree. Ruby graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering, as well as a Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering. Ruby has volunteered hundreds of hours per year since High School, through her affiliations with Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), Society of Women Engineers (SWE), Hispanics Inspiring Student’s Performance and Achievement (HISPA), NJ Women Enhancing Success at Turner (NJWEST), and The Inclusion, Equity, and Allyship (NJ IDEA) Group at Turner. Ruby speaks to students on a yearly basis as she strongly believes in the importance of giving back to pay it forward, and inspire the next generation of innovators and pioneers.

Sponsor

This session is based upon work partially supported by the generosity of Turner Construction
Monday, May 1, 2023

SHLA Meetup #4

SHLA Meetup #4

SWENext Influencers are student leaders that share their best practices and experiences participating in SWE’s K-12 signature programming to SWE/SWENext audiences and partners. SWENext Influencers will design, plan and lead monthly SHLA Meetups where they will engage in peer-to-peer networking. In addition to this opportunity, SHLA participants are required to provide monthly contributions to the group discussion page sharing their experience and resources. SWENext Influencers will have until the end of the month to plan and execute this networking session. SHLA Meetups are as long as students are engaged, or a minimum of 20 minutes. Please note participants will receive an updated schedule for these sessions will be scheduled as they are finalized by each team of influencers per month.
Monday, May 8,2023

Getting FaceTime: A Chat With An Engineer

Getting FaceTime: A Chat With An Engineer

Turner Construction engineering and/or STEM professionals will host a special discussion with SHLA participants. In this informal discussion, students will get the opportunity to learn about their career journey, highlight their personal and professional wins and failures, and provide advice on how to identify ways to be successful in pursing an engineering career. Following this, students will be allowed to talk and ask engineers questions for a 45-60 minute session.

Sponsor

This session is based upon work partially supported by the generosity of Turner Construction
Monday, May 15, 2023

Closing The Tabs: End of the Year Ceremony

Closing The Tabs: End of the Year Ceremony

A closing keynote speaker will share their personal story on how they are impacting the STEM community using their leadership skills and how students can apply what they’ve learned and next steps for building their future in engineering. SWENext Influencers will lead a 25 minute interactive activity and debrief to share how they will apply what they’ve learned from the program and plan ways to stay plugged in and contribute to the SWE/SWENext community. Most of all, this is an informal opportunity for participants to have fun and celebrate all they’ve done in the program!

Speakers

Grace Liu

Researcher, advocate, and changemaker
Grace Chenxin Liu loves researching and advocating for gender equality, sustainable development, and supporting the SDGs using STEAM by designing innovative solutions to real-world problems. As a member of the Global Conference on Women’s Studies Scientific Committee, National Youth Advisory Council, 1000 Girls 1000 Futures, the Junior Academy of the New York Academy of Sciences, and the Stevens Initiative Alumni, she has worked on 10+ international research projects and developed technological solutions to real-world problems. Grace is the Founder of Sharing to Empower and also a United Nations and TEDx speaker, YOUNGA 2022 Delegate and Equality & Inclusion Working Group Leader, Girls Leadership Academy Ambassador & Keynote Speaker, and WomenTech Network Global Ambassador. She has been the youngest and one of the selected few highlighted speakers at many international and national conferences. She has more than 40 pieces of writing and artwork featured in academic journals, anthologies, newspapers, books, and conference proceedings.
Grace Chenxin Liu loves researching and advocating for gender equality

This project is based upon work partially supported by the generosity of General Motors, a grant from the Amateur Radio  and Digital Communications, Danaher Corporation, and Turner Construction.

Become a SWENEXT Leadership Academy Ambassador

See what these students say about the experience — including how it helped them grow as leaders!

Have questions about becoming a SWENEXT Ambassadors? Email us at swenext@swe.org.

Have questions about SHLA? Email us at swenext@swe.org.

How to Apply

SHLA registration is now open and will close on August 9th, 2021. In order to participate in the SHLA program, all participants are required to join SWENext. Join here for free. 

Mentoring circlesSWENext CONNECTprovides students with the opportunity to establish a safe, positive
relationship with peers and SWE members. Learn more about 
SWENext CONNECT today. 

SWENextTVSWENext TV provides access to past on-demand sessions. View past sessions today! 

FY22 Summer Summit:

Gitanjali RaoGitanjali Rao was recognized as America’s Top Young Scientist and received an EPA Presidential award for inventing her device “Tethys”—an early lead detection tool. Gitanjali is also the inventor of “Epione”—a device for early diagnosis of prescription opioid addiction using genetic engineering, and “Kindly”—an anti-cyberbullying service using AI and Natural Language processing.

She was honored as Forbes “30 Under 30 in Science” in 2019 and TIME’s “Top Young Innovator” and “Kid of the Year” for her innovations and STEM workshops she conducts globally, which has inspired over thirty-eight thousand students in the last two years across four continents. In her sessions, she shares her own process of innovation that can be used by students all over the world. She is an experienced TED speaker and often presents in global and corporate forums on innovation and the importance of STEM.

Gitanjali has her new book “Young Innovator’s Guide to STEM”, which was released on March 16th which guides students, educators, or teachers with a prescribed 5 step innovation process.

August 16, 2021 @ 6:00PM CT

Speaker: Jill Murfin, NXT Technical Program Manager at Nike & SWENext Programs Committee Chair Jill Murfin

About Jill

Jill Murfin (’05) is a proud Portland State University graduate with a passion for motivating others. Her 16-year engineering career has included roles in Engineering Management, Factory Operations, Product Engineering, and Technical Program Management at both Intel and Nike. 

View on-demand session here. Prior to joining the mainstream maker movement, Tamara spent a decade in corporate engineering where she was pivotal in creating Women in Leadership mentorship programs.  During this time she noted a lack of women so, in 2015, she transitioned full-time to outreach in hopes of inspiring more young women to pursue S.T.E.M. careers.  It was during this time that she was given the opportunity to battle it out for a chance to join the Mythbusters legacy where her life as a tinkerer and collector of skills landed her as the only female finalist and 2 x MVP winner.  Since then has become one of the leading female science hosts and engineers on the Science Channel lending her talents to Scijinks with Johnny Galecki, Mythbusters 2.0 with Brian Louden and Jon Lung, and most recently on Mythbusters Jr. with Adam Savage.

DinaScippaWith nearly two decades of experience working in some of the most exciting and demanding environments around the world, Dina is able to bring practical real-world experience to her coaching, mentoring, and speaking.  It’s this fusion of the first-hand experience, personal anecdotes, and humor that enables her to connect so deeply with her audiences and create such inspiring and transformational talks.

Dina is a recognized expert and leader in the field of gender equality and women’s empowerment. She regularly mentors and coaches women and girls to step into their power, without compromising who they are or what they are looking to create in the world. Her goal is to help women and girls get in touch with what sets their souls on fire.

Mary ZeisView on-demand session here. Mary T. Zeis has a B.S. in Chemical Engineer from the University of Pittsburgh. She worked for 31 years for Procter & Gamble in Research & Development on consumer brands such as Tide, Dawn, Crest, and Pampers. Now retired, Mary is a SWE volunteer leader in STEM Outreach.  It’s her way of “paying it forward” for all the opportunities and mentors she had through her college and working years.  Encouraging more girls to consider engineering as a career is truly an avocation for her.  Mary has personally participated in or led over 100 Outreach events.  She loves to talk with girls to help them match up to their passions and interests with types of engineering.

SWENextConnect LogoSpeakers: SWENext Connect Mentors
This “connect” session will provide an opportunity for students to connect online with peers and mentors in engineering, have conversations about careers in engineering and technology, get insight and advice from women in engineering. This session will focus on a variety of engineering disciplines. 

FY22 Winter Summit:

AE FD B D C A
Deysi Melgar came to the U.S. from Mexico at age 7 and developed a love for math. She also loved acting, singing, and dancing, and chose to attend a high school for performing arts, where she was drawn to the technical side of the theater. Deysi never considered a career in STEM, until her work on the PBS Emmy® and Peabody Award-winning TV series Design Squad. Deysi is a graduate of Wheaton College (Norton, MA) with a BA in Physics. Deysi works at Denver International Airport managing various airline ground operations. Her passion for aviation has led Deysi to obtain her private pilot’s certificate, with the end goal of one day flying private aircraft.  

DLACWith a bold dream, Alena has become the youngest young girl of color to ever intern at NASA. She is also using her voice by launching The Brown STEM Girl and she is also the founder of The Brown STEM Girl Foundation. Through The Brown STEM Girl, Alena has received eight proclamations declaring April 30th as Brown STEM Girl STEM in the City Day Honoring Women of Color in STEM. This day is also set aside to engage girls of color, ages 10-17 in STEM activities and will be hosted all across the United States of America.

Alena has received international recognition through her features on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, Good Morning America, The Kelly and Ryan Show, Black Entertainment Television, and a host of news outlets throughout the world. In addition, she has also been honored by the Phoenix Mercury (WNBA) as part of their Believe in Women campaign. With a clear vision, Alena is on the path to knock down doors for other brown STEM girls, just like her!


Marquez headshotDr. Jessica Marquez is a human systems engineer at NASA Ames Research Center. She leads a team of researchers, user interface designers, and software developers, who focus on developing the next generation of planning, scheduling, and execution tools for space exploration.

BriShae

 Bri’Shae Anderson started with Turner in 2015 as a field engineer working in Charlotte, NC on a $90M project where she managed roughly 2M scope of work. Bri’Shae was recognized in 2015with the Emerging Leadership Award within Turner. In 2016, Bri’Shae was promoted to an Assistant Engineer in the Carolina Office along with a mentor of the Carolina’s Blueprint Group. During Bri’Shae’s mentor roles she had the pleasure of assisting new hires with becoming accustomed to working with the company and managing community service projects.

In 2019, Bri’Shae was promoted to Engineer on the International African American Museum in Charleston, SC. Along with mentoring young women in the Construction Management program at North Carolina A&T State University. She believes that we cannot be successful in life without helping the people coming up behind us. 


Kelsey Ellis HSKelsey Ellis is the Procurement Manager for Turner Chicago; she leads the procurement department for the Chicago office awarding about $200M annually. In 2020, the Chicago office had over 850 contracts across 66 projects.  She has worked at Turner for over nine years and worked on many high profile and complex projects including the San Diego New Central Library, Sempra Energy Headquarters, Ballpark Village, and the University of Chicago, Woodlawn Residential Commons, which varied from Commercial to Residential type projects.

Kelsey holds a degree in Structural Engineering, from University of California, San Diego. Kelsey currently leads Turner Habitat Chicago’s Women Build Team, which she has been participating in since 2017 building homes for women-lead households on the Southside of Chicago. She has a true passion for bringing more women into STEM and helping to develop younger female staff navigate their way through a career in construction and grow into future leaders.


Shelton Erica fave final cropErica Shelton serves as Senior Cost Analyst for Turner’s Central Florida business unit, with overall responsibility for risk analysis and financial reporting. The projects that she is responsible for range from $1 Million to $1 Billion in revenue. As a Department Head of a four-member team, Erica works to supervise, evaluate, train, and further develop the department. In 2019, Erica led the successful training and implementation of SIE – a company-wide financial management initiative – across the Florida Business Unit. 

Erica holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Construction Management from Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colorado.  She started her career as an engineer in the Chicago Business Unit  at Turner and held several positions during her time there, including Project Manager, Superintendent, and Cost Analyst.  Erica participated in a variety of projects, including but not limited to interior buildouts, K-12 schools, and commercial medical buildings.  In 2017, Erica had the opportunity to transfer to the Orlando Business Unit, where she has held positions within the Finance and Procurement Departments. At Turner, Erica is actively involved in the Women Impacting Turner (WIT) Employee Resource Group.


Nagy Elise HeadshotElise Nagy is an Engineer for Turner Construction. She currently is working on a $529 million dollar healthcare project in Cleveland, OH where she is managing the construction budget and multiple interiors subcontractors. Elise holds a Bachelors of Science in Construction Engineering from The University of Akron.

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

Sabrina Ransbarger HeadshotSabrina Ransbarger is an Assistant Engineer at Turner Construction, and has been with the company for approximately three years. She started out with the Procurement group focusing on trade partner risk management and relationships, and quickly transitioned into the Operations side of the business in the Special Projects Division.

Sabrina’s passion for the construction industry started as a love for design and architecture growing up, leading her to pursue an undergraduate degree in Architectural Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. In the last two years, Sabrina has worked on various projects spanning from community centers to high-end commercial interiors to unique opportunities such as renovations at the Dallas Museum of Art. 

 


This session is supported by the generosity of Turner Construction

Turner Blue

SWENextConnect Logo

This “connect” session will provide an opportunity for students to connect online with peers and mentors in engineering, have conversations about careers in engineering and technology, get insight and advice from women in engineering. This session will focus on community work and leadership. 

title SWENext High School Leadership Academy (SHLA) - high school leadership

Tina Steele, The FAFSA Guru has 30 years of experience working in higher education with expertise in financial aid. She has her Master’s Degree in Higher Education and has worked at both the public and private college levels directly in the financial aid office. She also spent 10 years facilitating college planning and financial aid workshops across the state of Maine for a federally funded grant program. She delivers numerous workshops and presentations on the topic of financial aid for a variety of businesses, organizations, and educational institutions.

She founded The FAFSA Guru 5 years ago after seeing the gap between student and family needs when it came to financial aid assistance and the services that were available to assist them. 

FY22 Spring Summit:

Emily RichardEmily Richard is a senior electrical engineering student at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering. Emily grew up just outside of Pittsburgh, PA in Robinson Township. Emily’s passion for engineering began in middle school after attending a summer STEM camp for girls at a local college campus. From there she went on to hone her interests and skills both in school and out. She competed in numerous high school competitions related to her STEAM interests. Most notably one of her team projects was chosen to be featured in the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) with her participant year being the topic of the Disney+ movie Science Fair. 

Additionally, as a high schooler, she founded a SWENext club and upon graduating valedictorian of her class became a proud SWENext Alumni. Once on Pitt’s campus, Emily quickly became an active member of PittSWE. She has held several collegiate SWE officer positions including historian, elementary outreach chair, Vice President of Outreach, and currently serves as PittSWE President. Emily likes to trace her successful collegiate SWE career to her origin as a SWENexter and often reflects on her time as a SWENexter to allow PittSWE’s new initiatives to be more effective to younger audiences.

Dina ScippaAbout Dina
With nearly two decades of experience working in some of the most exciting and demanding environments around the world, Dina is able to bring practical real-world experience to her coaching, mentoring, and speaking.  It’s this fusion of the first-hand experience, personal anecdotes, and humor that enables her to connect so deeply with her audiences and create such inspiring and transformational talks.

Dina is a recognized expert and leader in the field of gender equality and women’s empowerment. She regularly mentors and coaches women and girls to step into their power, without compromising who they are or what they are looking to create in the world. Her goal is to help women and girls get in touch with what sets their souls on fire.

This session is supported by the generosity of Turner Construction

 

This session is supported by the Raytheon Technologies

 

Speaker: Special Guest of SWE

The SHLA graduation ceremony is for students who successfully complete the program by completing at least ten (10) post event Takeaway Activity for live or on-demand sessions.

Have questions about SHLA? Email us at swenext@swe.org.