SWENext High School Leadership Academy (SHLA)

Q: Managing Burnout

Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. CTIn this session students will be joined by four professional engineers. Two engineers from ExxonMobil will give a short presentation on what burnout is, and then two other professional engineers will discuss methods on how to manage burnout. This session with end with a Q&A session.This session is only available to students ages 14-18 years old. Are you or a student you know interested in attending? Email outreach@swe.org to get the registration link.

Q: SHLA Global Watch Party

Wednesday, May 27, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. CTThis session will be a watch party for SWENexters who couldn’t attend the session on 5/20, or who are located outside of the United States. Students will get to watch a recording of the Managing Burnout session, and then complete a group reflection.This session is only available to students ages 14-18 years old. Are you or a student you know interested in attending? Email outreach@swe.org to get the registration link.

Q: SHLA Celebration

Wednesday, June 17, 2026 at 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. CTIn this session students will celebrate and reflect on what they have learned throughout this SHLA program year. SWE’s current President, Inaas Darrat, will give a short presentation on her journey in STEM and advice that she has for students. This session will end with a Q&A and networking session. This session is only available to students ages 14-18 years old. Are you or a student you know interested in attending? Email outreach@swe.org to get the registration link.

3,253

Total SHLA Participants (All Time)

Years Program Has Been Active

Total Number of Sessions

Have Questions About SHLA?

Plus, all SHLA participants entering university receive a free SWE Collegiate-to-Career membership!

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

I plan on shaping my engineering career so that I can use it to help my community.

It was an inspiring session, especially since the guest speaker was someone of our own age. It really motivated me to work hard and not give up until I succeed in inventing a solution.

"Being able to connect with people, old and young outside my country, ethnicity and race was one of the most important and captivating things I gained from the program."

SWENext Connect sessions are always the highlight of my day! :-)

This was so fun, I loved being able to just get one on one conversation with mentors, to ask questions but also just to get inspiration and understanding on possible future paths. I loved the diversity in the different career paths and futures so you were able to find the right person to ask the right stuff to.

[Participating in the "Why Engineering is a Great Choice" session] was a great to start deciding what field of engineering I like.

I feel really comfortable here, and I am super thankful for everyone for making me feel at home <3

I love science (hoping to go into engineering in the future), but also love to play piano and perform. This has been my favorite session because it was one of the most relatable for me. I learned how to navigate these two passions of mine from the speaker.

I really loved the spot coaching because it made me feel like my thoughts were valid. It was amazing.

It was so encouraging! Even though I didn’t get a chance to talk to [the speaker, Dina Scippa] directly, listening to everyone’s stories made me feel so inclusive and comfortable with my story.

I learned that there are many positive engineering role models in the world that I didn't really knew existed! I hope that someday soon I will be able to have a great female mentor to be inspired from if I continue to study engineering when I attend college in two years!

I learned that we can make our origin stories whatever we need them to be in order to keep ourselves motivated. We can define ourselves in any way that we want to, not by the limitations that we think are already set on us.

[The speaker, Tamara Robertson,] is the female engineering figure that I never knew I needed. Her words of wisdom were so valuable!

How to Participate in SHLA

The SHLA program is available to all SWENexters ages 14 – 18. Learn about how to join SWENext on the SWENext webpage. Aren’t sure if you’re already a part of SWENext? Contact outreach@swe.org to check!

Upcoming SHLA Virtual Sessions

Check out the upcoming SHLA sessions below!

Managing Burnout

Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. CT

In this session students will be joined by four professional engineers. Two engineers from ExxonMobil will give a short presentation on what burnout is, and then two other professional engineers will discuss methods on how to manage burnout. This session with end with a Q&A session.

This session is only available to students ages 14-18 years old. Are you or a student you know interested in attending? Email outreach@swe.org to get the registration link.

SHLA Global Watch Party

Wednesday, May 27, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. CT
This session will be a watch party for SWENexters who couldn’t attend the session on 5/20, or who are located outside of the United States. Students will get to watch a recording of the Managing Burnout session, and then complete a group reflection.

This session is only available to students ages 14-18 years old. Are you or a student you know interested in attending? Email outreach@swe.org to get the registration link.

SHLA Celebration

Wednesday, June 17, 2026 at 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. CT
In this session students will celebrate and reflect on what they have learned throughout this SHLA program year. SWE’s current President, Inaas Darrat, will give a short presentation on her journey in STEM and advice that she has for students. This session will end with a Q&A and networking session.

This session is only available to students ages 14-18 years old. Are you or a student you know interested in attending? Email outreach@swe.org to get the registration link.

Milestones to College Preparation Roadmaps

Check out the Milestones to College preparation roadmaps. These help high school students at all grade levels stay on track to meet their goals of getting into their ideal college!

This project is based upon work partially supported by the generosity of a grant from our sponsors:

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CPC members support the mission and objectives of SWE