Student engagement through clubs and organizations is a vital way for students to get involved on campus. Chapman University Fowler School of Engineering contributes to several clubs and organizations with their pursuits including supporting travel for conferences.  

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Section joined thousands of professionals, educators, and students from around the world at the WE24 Conference in Chicago, Illinois. The annual conference is organized by the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and this year’s topic was “Together We Rise” to promote diversity, inclusion, and advancement in engineering. 

Seven female engineering students, representing SWE at Chapman, Alexandra Fomina, Allison Allspaw, Carina Chan, Hemi Shah, Kalin Richardson, Margaret Hillebrecht, and Yanelly Mego had the opportunity to network, attend inspiring keynotes/career booths, and dive into technical sessions that broadened their perspectives on the future of engineering.

“Attending the WE24 conference was an incredible and empowering experience, especially since it was my first conference,” said computer science major, Hemi Shah. 

Empowering Keynote Speakers

The conference began with powerful keynote speakers. They emphasized the importance of resilience and innovation in driving change and shared their experiences of navigating traditionally male-dominated spaces. These messages served as a reminder that our unique journeys contribute to the broader engineering community and bring those involved together.

WE24 Conference

Keynote speakers during the WE24 Conference.

A few other talks students attended were “Building Your Brand Toolbox: Playing Up Your Strengths as a Technical Woman with Lenovo,” “A Career with Boundless Opportunity with Northrop Grumman,” “Empowering Women in Tech: Building Resilience and Overcoming Impostor Syndrome,” “AI in Healthcare: Unleashing the Future of Medical Innovation,” and more! Each talk provided practical takeaways and fresh perspectives that students could carry into their own careers.  

“The inclusive atmosphere immediately made me feel welcome and inspired, and hearing the stories of successful women from diverse fields broadened my perspective on career possibilities and reassured me about the path I’m building,” shared Shah. 

On-Site Career Opportunities

Continuing the day, the career fair was buzzing with activity, featuring representatives from large and small engineering companies eager to share their work, showcase technology, and discuss internship and career opportunities with students. Some of these companies included The Aerospace Corporation, Apple, Dell, Disney Imagineering, Ford, GE, Johnson & Johnson, Lenovo, Microsoft, NASA, SpaceX, and so much more. Some of these companies held interview booths allowing students to connect with recruiters and even participate in on-the-spot interviews.

“A highlight was the career fair, where I formed genuine connections with representatives from top industry companies, gaining valuable insights into company cultures and roles. This led to a Summer 2025 IT internship offer from Rockwell Automation and future interview opportunities with other leading companies,” said Shah. 

 Over the final days of the conference, SWE members took advantage of the engaging talks and workshops as well as many other career booths. “I had the gracious opportunity to interview with a few different companies, HP, Polaris, and Lutron and I am currently awaiting their response about their internships,” said software engineering major Kalin Richardson. 

Broadening Perspectives After WE24 Conference

WE24 Conference

Chapman SWE members attending the WE24 Conference.

The WE24 Conference was a fully transformative experience for Chapman’s SWE members. “I loved going to the panels and hearing other people’s experiences and advice no matter the professional level. It made me feel connected and comforted in my current position,” said Maggie Hillebrecht, computer science student. 

This opportunity not only provided them the chance to learn from leading professionals and recruiters but also reinforced the sense of unity and support that drives the overall engineering community and more specifically, the Fowler Engineering community. As they resume their studies, they carry forward the conference’s message—Together We Rise—a reminder of the power of collaboration and diversity in engineering.  

Chapman’ Society of Women Engineers sends a huge thank you to the Chapman Student Government Association and the Fowler School of Engineering for helping fund their travel and wonderful conference experience! 

Student Testimonials

Hemi Shah ’27 (Computer Science)

Hemi Shah

Chapman SWE member, Hemi Shah

Attending the WE24 conference was an incredible and empowering experience, especially since it was my first conference. The inclusive atmosphere immediately made me feel welcome and inspired, and hearing the stories of successful women from diverse fields broadened my perspective on career possibilities and reassured me about the path I’m building. A highlight was the career fair, where I formed genuine connections with representatives from top industry companies, gaining valuable insights into company cultures and roles. This led to a Summer 2025 IT internship offer from Rockwell Automation and future interview opportunities with other leading companies. I’m deeply grateful to everyone that made this invaluable opportunity possible, and I’m excited to pursue more opportunities like this in the future!

Kalin Richardson ’26 (Software Engineering)

Kalin Richardson

Chapman SWE Vice President, Kalin Richardson

As Chapman SWE’s vice president, I worked hard with our president, Yanelly Mego, to get our members to the WE24 Conference. Taking all the time that we spent planning was well spent with such a wonderful experience this past week. Being able to attend this conference opened my eyes to a variety of career paths since software engineering and computer science are applicable practically anywhere. Talking to companies in aerospace, automation, robotics, automotive and more displayed that I could potentially apply my academic career anywhere in the world in any industry. I had the gracious opportunity to interview with a few different companies, HP, Polaris, and Lutron and I am currently awaiting their response about their internships. I also made a deep connection with a recruiter at Zoox, an Amazon Company. The fellow women in engineering/STEM that I met and spoke with at the conference truly made my experience memorable and I look forward to continuing my career with the help of SWE in the future. 

Maggie Hillebrecht ’26 (Computer Science)

Maggie Hillebrecht

Chapman SWE Media Chair, Maggie Hillebrecht

I didn’t have any expectations when attending WE24. This was the first ever conference I had ever attended, and I had no idea what to expect. Leading up to the conference I had been reached out to by HP to check out their booth. I immediately registered that I would see them and soon after that lead into me be scheduled an interview with them at the conference! Besides this huge personal achievement, being able to be surrounded by other women in engineering gave me so much hope and joy for the future of tech. I met so many amazing women from all over the nation and it felt like talking to old work friends. The career fair was a bit overwhelming at first, but I got a heartfelt pep talk from someone at the discover booth. I felt a lot more prepared the second day and got a ton more connections at some amazing companies I love and use daily. I loved going to the panels and hearing other people’s experiences and advice no matter the professional level. It made me feel connected and comforted in my current position.