WIE Connect 2024 - Women in Engineering - Purdue University

Rose Sardina

M.S. ECE

What's next for Rose: Rotational Development Engineer at John Deere

“With WiE, I have a sense of community. Finding other women in engineering is hard, being in a male-dominated major. But I'm meeting more women and have made some really great connections that I wouldn't have met unless I was in this program. In addition to that, Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day has been very impactful. I love having in-depth conversations with high schoolers about what they want to do. We get reviews afterward from students saying they're considering electrical engineering or engineering because of the activities we did.”

Nicole Rytczak

B.S. MDE

What's next for Nicole: Water Resources Engineer at Woolpert

“This year, the Outreach team served around 5,500 K-10 students. I don't know if everyone knows how much we're growing and that we're making a huge impact. But, for me, the most impactful experiences have been when I see a student who is shy and not interested at the beginning of a program, but by the end, they're really involved in an engineering activity. I've also had high school students come up to me and say, 'I didn't think engineering was for me, but because I heard your story, it's making me think about it more.' Those are some of the most impactful moments over the years.”

Molly Tredway

B.S. MDE

Madeline McNarney

B.S. IE

What's next for Maddie: Operations Consultant at West Monroe

“When I came to Engineering, it was around 28% women. The last incoming class was 35% women. The work we're doing is truly paying off, and that's something the WiE program as a whole should be proud of! I'm coming out of this program reaping the benefits, too. I'm part of a community of women who lift each other up and challenge each other in exciting and different ways. I know that I will take that community and support network with me beyond college.”

Elyse Zurawski

B.S. BME

What's next for Elyse: Summer Quality and Regulatory Intern at GE Healthcare, then returning to Purdue in the fall to complete a master's degree in biomedical engineering

“I love this leadership team because I believe it's important to share the realistic experience of what being an engineering student is like. Everyone is so intelligent, and it can be easy to think, 'I'm not as smart as this person.' Or, when you get a bad grade on an exam or don't get an internship, those things are hard to process alone. At M&M, we've made a great space for students to share those experiences and have a support team.”

Natalie Harvey

B.S. ME

What's next for Natalie: Mechanical Engineer at General Motors.

“Being part of the leadership team has brought me a great sense of community. We're all encouraging each other to grow and want to show each other that we can do this! We're also doing that for our participants. We're showing them that there's this sense of community; you're not alone here. That's impacted me a lot.”

Kaniese Mack

B.S. BME

What's next for Kaniese: Exploring industry opportunities and continuing education in patent law

“What's meaningful to me about being part of WiE and M&M is knowing that something I've said has resonated or impacted at least one person in the room. I think that's what it means to be a leader. Additionally, our program is unique and valuable because we teach things you can't learn in the traditional classroom, like creativity in engineering. It gets you thinking about how to be a better engineer in the real world, and I think that's really cool.”

Rebecca Mold

B.S. BE

What's next for Rebecca: Food Safety and Quality Associate at General Mills

“WiE has given me a space to grow as a leader and to become someone that my peers can look up to. It's been really great getting to grow not only individually but alongside the team as we continue to work together, lift each other up, and develop a supportive network within the larger WiE community. That's been really neat.”

Elizabeth Sanders

Ph.D. ENE

What's next for Elizabeth: Purdue post-doctoral researcher studying empathy and engineering design

“I hope to pursue a career in co-curricular initiatives, which is very similar to WiE. Being on the Grad WiE Network leadership team, I was able to do fulfilling work with all the amazing students, but it also provided me the opportunity to grow a lot of professional leadership and organizational-type skills that are critical to my future career.”

Mairead Kennedy

B.S. ChE

Athulya Nair

B.S. BE

What's next for Athulya: Supply Chain Engineer at PepsiCo, Beverage Division

“Being a part of the WiE program has helped me realize just how much Purdue offers to students and how much other Purdue students are willing to help. Being part of the WE Link leadership team has also impacted what I believed myself to be and my potential within college. It's enabled me to develop my leadership and communication skills and helped me realize what I wanted to get out of my college experience and how I want to present myself as an individual for preparation in the workforce.”

Rebecca Jennings

B.S. MSE

What's next for Rebecca: Materials Engineer at Garmin International

“When we talk to high school juniors and seniors, we get follow-up emails saying, 'Hey, I'm choosing Purdue because of you.' Or, in the fall, you run into someone on campus who you spoke to at Purdue For Me last spring. I realized that when you truly believe in the mission of the organization you work for and pour yourself into it, you will receive a lot in return.”

Alena Megregian

B.S. CE

What's next for Alena: Project Engineer at Swinerton

“WiE has empowered me and encouraged me to persevere in an industry that isn't women-dominated. It's been empowering to have a community behind me and see so many other people striving for their dreams and goals. I love being able to give back to that through the program, too. We do a lot of the recruitment, and it's been cool to talk to high school students and say, 'We believe in you. You have what you need to be successful, and we want you to come and do this here at Purdue, too.'”