UA News

UA students with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers hosted the annual Advancement of Latinos in Engineering Day, which continues to grow each year.

It's getting easier for the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers to engage a group of high school students in missile-building workshops and competitions to build race cars equipped with lights and sounds. 

But the University of Arizona student-run chapter finds it difficult to retain that interest after the students graduate from high school.

To address that problem, the UA chapter of the nationwide society introduced MentorSHPE, a new mentoring program,  during its fourth annual Advancement of Latinos in Engineering Day, which was held last week. 

The society, also known as SHPE/UA, "focuses every year on recruitment, not enough on retention," said Jose Estrada, a  sophomore studying in the UA College of Engineering.

Estrada, who also was the ALE Day vice-president for SHPE/UA, worked with high school counselors and sponsors IBM and Raytheon Missile Systems to organize ALE Day.

"[MentorSHPE] provides role models who see the importance of college and engineering," Estrada said.

MentorSHPE partners SHPE/UA members with attendees – more than 100 aspiring engineers who are currently juniors and seniors in high school – of ALE Day or the Young Latina Forum.

More than 50 students from eight local high schools have signed up for the program. Besides the creation of a support system for high school students, SHPE/UA hopes that MentorSHPE will allow them to track the lasting effect on students of outreach efforts like ALE Day.

Students and mentors will meet on a monthly basis, participate in community service and SHPE/UA activities. High school students will receive guidance during their transition to college and the opportunity to network with peers and professionals.

ALE Day was designed to encourage young Hispanic men to pursue careers in math and science, and also to encourage them to further their education after graduation. The day's events focus on the benefits of obtaining a college degree and expanding diversity in the classroom and professions.

Those involved with SHPE emphasized that while coursework in math and science are both important, not having done well in those classes wouldn't prevent them from becoming an engineer.

The focus of ALE Day was not on the academic workload. Instead, students were asked if they were prepared to accept the demands of the job. Jeff Goldberg, the UA College of Engineering dean, began his opening address by telling students that, in the next 30 years, engineers will solve the world's biggest problems.

"Engineering looks at your ability to help people," Goldberg said in his speech.

ALE Day, a forum for workshops and discussions, is driven by a lack of diversity in educational and professional settings. The event also is inspired by the Young Latina Forum, a similar event held in November that is run by SHPE/UA for female Hispanic students.

"When I was a senior at Tucson High, I participated [in ALE Day]. It was a very inspiring event at the time. It was the final push to get me into engineering. Being ALE Day vice-president and coordinator was my way to give back to SHPE," Estrada said.

Stephanie Gutierrez, a UA sophomore studying elementary education, joined SHPE/UA at the recommendation of her older sister.

As a freshman, she admired the club's community outreach efforts. 

"First and foremost, they need to know they can go to college. High school isn't the last step," said Gutierrez, who also is the secretary for SHPE/UA.

"From what I saw, [the high school students] really enjoyed it. They got a lot out of it and the workshops and the guest speakers," she added. "I think a lot of them will end up attending the UA."

Keynote speaker James Valenzuela, Mission Assurance Awareness & Warfighter Program manager for Raytheon, is a former member of SHPE/UA and continues to work with the club.

Valenzuela drew on his own experiences to emphasize overcoming adversity and taking responsibility.

"I'm a kid from the south side of Tucson. We all have issues. We all have problems. We all have stories in this room, good and bad," said Valenzuela during his address. "You have to think past the neighborhood you're from."

As SHPE/UA continues to spread their message, ALE Day grows rapidly. It began with just 50 participants in 2007, a number that has doubled in three years.

"Every year has improved exponentially. I want them to know I'm proud of them, like a father of his own children," Valenzuela said. "These kids are leaving a legacy. Everything is possible; it doesn't matter where you're from."