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Eighteen College of Engineering students made a seven-day spring break study abroad trip to Belgium and Paris designed to help them better understand gender dynamics in the world.
Read Full StoryCongratulations to our 2024 WiE Leadership Team Graduates!
Outreach Leadership Team

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
Operations Leadership Team

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.”
Mentees and Mentors (M&M) Leadership Team

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.”
Grad WiE Network Leadership Team

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.”
ENGR 19400 Leadership Team

Mairead Kennedy
B.S. ChE
WE Link Leadership Team

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.'”
Opportunities for Engagement
There are many ways for you to get involved with the Women in Engineering Program.
Listed below are some volunteer opportunities. If you have an interest, please complete our online form here.
These opportunities are open to everyone and unlimited in number.
Indicate your interest when you complete the online form.
ACCESS ALUM
Informal gathering with current students and alumns to chat about life as an engineer.
Needed: Alumnae to inform us when they'll be on campus and available for an event.
WE LINK
Connecting with high school seniors as they apply and ultimately decide whether Purdue Engineering is the place for them.
Needed: guest bloggers sharing experiences that encourage and inspire. Visit: "The Engineering Experience" blog.
These programs are looking for recent alumnae (within the last 10 years). If you meet that criteria, indicate your interest when you complete the online form, and we will invite you!
EXPLORING ENGINEERING AT PURDUE
One-day on-campus recruiting programs for high school juniors and seniors.
Needed: Panels of engineering professionals less than 10 years from graduation to talk about what they do in the "real world."
These programs need inspirational and engaging speakers whose talks are interactive with a message aligned to course/program objectives. There are a limited number of openings. If you indicate your interest when you complete the online form, we will be in touch if we find a good fit.
ENGR 19400
Women in Engineering Seminar for first-year students.
Needed: Motivational alumnae who share college experiences and relate those to where they are now and what they do in their position.
MENTEES & MENTORS/GRAD WIE NETWORK
Undergraduate and Graduate student mentoring programs.
Needed: Facilitators of interactive or workshop-style topics including but not limited to: life skills, engineering roles, non-traditional paths, life/work integration, finances, entrepreneurship, and global etiquette.
If you are interested in doing outreach programming near where you live, let's talk to see if becoming an Engineering Outreach Partner is right for you!
ENGINEERING OUTREACH PARTNER INITIATIVE (EOP)
Sharing our outreach model, best practices, training, and other resources.
Needed: Alumnae partners who can help share WiE's vision and passion for advancing youth engineering education by leading pre-college students in hands-on engineering activities and/or interactive discussions.
CORPORATE PARTNERS PROGRAM
Please check out our Corporate Partners Program here. It's an excellent way to connect you and your company for involvement within the Women in Engineering Program.
Email: wiep@purdue.edu for details.
Thanks to our volunteers
Alumni and Corporate Partners
Legend: AA - Access Alum; EEP - Exploring Engineering at Purdue; Grad - Grad WiE Network; IGED - Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day; M&M - Mentors & Mentees; 194 - ENGR 19400: Women in Engineering Seminar; O - Outreach programming
Purdue Faculty, Staff and Students
Legend: AA - Access Alum; EEP - Exploring Engineering at Purdue; Grad - Grad WiE Network; IGED - Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day; M&M - Mentors & Mentees; 194 - ENGR 19400: Women in Engineering Seminar; O - Outreach programming

Make a Contribution to the Women In Engineering Program
The Women in Engineering Program could not achieve its mission to enrich the profession of engineering with women's full participation without our donors' generous support. We offer our sincerest thanks to all who have supported our programs.
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