Diversity in engineering is a very important thing. Diversity in a field like engineering ensures that the new innovations that students and practitioners are developing can better all communities; not just poorer communities but also, communities of color or communities that sit at the intersection of both. Diversity in engineering ensures that there are people from historically disenfranchised subgroups that can acknowledge and begin to correct some of the engineering problems in their communities. For example, the straight piped sewage systems that are commonly used in parts of the Black Belt. These engineering problems require innovative solutions from people who truly and genuinely care for the people of these communities. These specific engineers come from programs where diversity is embraced and supported as a fundamental idea to bettering the whole field of engineering.

Purdue Engineering has taken the initial steps in creating an environment where diversity is allowed to flourish. The mission of the Minority Engineering Program is a huge step in creating a space for minority engineering students and prospective students to get a feel for what diversity means to our University. However, the last great strides made for this program were made several decades ago. It often seems like the Minority Engineering Program only serves certain students and not all of them. To better the whole college, I think it is crucial that the Minority Engineering Program, other engineering programs, and the College of Engineering collaborate to create an environment across the whole college that promotes and embraces diversity.

For me, as a student who went to diversity-based engineering camps from Minority Engineering and Women in Engineering, as well as, an employee of Minority Engineering, I will continue to support and promote an entirely inclusive environment in the spaces that I am responsible for. Likewise, in my position as a student mentor it is imperative that I create meaningful and lasting impressions on the diverse generations of tomorrow; to engage them in engineering concepts and curricula that will carry them into engineering disciplines. It is the action, or inaction, of today that will impact how far we all go tomorrow, together.