SHPE - Fall 2008 - (Page 53)

the larger SHPE familia that the student chapter is still going strong. “This helps our students understand the responsibility that comes with being an official SHPE chapter and why we need to submit reports,” Mercado Voelker said. “We are such a small chapter and so remote, that it is very important to have a presence at the national conference and give our input at the regional meeting.” Mercado Voelker is also program director for the Michigan College University Partnership (MICUP), a state-sponsored effort that creates an avenue for many first-generation Latino students at community colleges to take summer courses and conduct research on the Michigan Tech campus, complete their four-year degrees and continue on to graduate school. In the process, she also introduces them to the benefits of SHPE. As a student at Grand Rapids Community College, Roger Matías was invited to meet SHPE-MTU members at the 2007 national conference in Denver, Colorado. “I got an opportunity to talk to them, see their points of view about SHPE and also Michigan Tech,” he said. “Also, it was a truly remarkable experience to meet with all the companies and have one-onone conversations about their projects.” Now an electrical engineering junior at Michigan Tech, Matías serves as the current student chapter president. According to Mercado Voelker, SHPE’s value to the university is closely linked with the chapter’s perseverance and its strong sense of professionalism and familia. “Michigan Tech understands how SHPE changes our students’ perspective and how much it helps them with professional development,” she said. “Watching students evolve and become concerned about providing professional development activities has made me very proud of them. I have to wonder if it’s something that they have learned from going to SHPE’s national conference, where there is a big emphasis on professional development and getting to the next level.” The best evidence is found among the chapter’s leaders. In April, SHP-MTU invited past president Hugo Jiménez to address the Michigan Tech community as an inspirational guest speaker. “Before becoming president, I had never held a position www.SHPE.org ❘ Fall 2008 where I had so much responsibility,” he said. “I wasn’t just heading an organization but learning how to do that. Madeline was a huge instrument in teaching me how to approach this leadership position.” Today, Jiménez is a patent engineer with a Milwaukee-based law firm, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, and is currently pursuing a law degree. “As an alumnus, I shared how my experiences with SHPE brought me this far in my career,” he added. Mercado Voelker is convinced that such visits with alumni SHPE-MTU familia will inspire others to consider looking into SHPE. She also recognizes the need to have them connect with their extended family, regionally and nationally. Mercado Voelker hopes that SHPE national and regional representatives will visit the campus in the future and help more students see the value that comes with being part of the SHPE familia. ■ 53 http://www.dt.navy.mil http://www.dt.navy.mil http://www.SHPE.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SHPE - Fall 2008

SHPE - Fall 2008 Contents President's Letter From the Vice President Calendar of Events National Board of Directors The Great '08: Chapter Leaders Learn to Spread 'SHPE Fever' Browser National Retreat Provides a Redefinition An Engineer and a Politician Capitalizing on Engineering Talent Grupos de Afinidad A Focused Approach to Getting the Job You Really Want SHPE Conference 2008 IPC Update Programs & Services Keeping Warm with 'Yuper' Familia Spirit Promise of Spring Recruit, Engage and Retain Regional Student Representatives Regional Roundup Advertisers Index

SHPE - Fall 2008

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