WISE Residence Program: getting involved with the Society of Women Engineers by Sarah Ilkhani-Pour

The beginning of this school year, I passed a group of SWE women in the hall. They called me over: "Sarah, we were just talking about you." Apparently, they heard that SEE camp had gone well, and they had a new officer position opening. They asked if I was interested, and within a few days, I was named Regional Bid Co-Chair.

In November, I took a leap and ran for SWE Vice President. I had low hopes since I had a year less experience than other candidates. I gave my speech, threw in a "Go Blue!" and waited for the results. To my amazement, I was elected as the 2008 Vice President of SWE.

I highly encourage everyone to pursue a leadership position in an organization that matches your interests. My past year and a half advancing through SWE has taught me several lessons:

• Whatever you do, do it the best you can. You never know who may be watching and what great things may come of it. When I first came to Michigan, I set a goal: get involved and meet people. I had done gymnastics the past fourteen years, which left little time to develop hobbies. I was afraid to try something new for fear that I would fail. Then, I learned about the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). SWE seemed generic enough: the only requirement was to support women engineers. I attended meetings and many freshman outreach activities (who can resist free colliders!). At the end of first semester, being the slightly obsessive email-checker that I am, I replied immediately to an email I received explaining an officer position opening. I was contacted because I attended several freshman outreach events. A few emails later, I was given the position of SEE Camp Co- Chair. I had little idea what this entailed (something about running a summer camp), but I jumped on the opportunity anyway. Perhaps the decision was a bit rash, but I have benefited greatly from it.
  
• Stay on top of email. Much information is passed through email, and quick responses are vital.
  
• Be enthusiastic! Enthusiasm reveals a person's dedication and drive. People have a greater desire to take up someone enthusiastic than someone blase´.
  
• Start small: just go to meetings and various activities. You'll meet people and eventually gain confidence to advance. If given an opportunity, jump on it! Although you should consider various options and gain complete information, do not wait for information to come to you. Initiate: respond and ask for more information immediately.

Sarah is a second-year WISE Residence Program peer mentor who is studying biomedical engineering. She also currently serves as the vice president of the Society of Women Engineers.

April 2008 eNews

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