SHPE - Fall 2008 - (Page 66)

LEADERSHPE ❚ By Leilani Rangel II REGION REGION REGION IV I REGION III Promise OF SPRING I n order to further the growth of its youngest crop of leaders, every year the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers stages seven regional leadership development conferences (RLDCs). The programs are designed to help college students improve their managerial skills, strengthen the infrastructure of their SHPE chapters and develop their pre-college outreach programs. Each RLDC offers teambuilding activities as well as SHPE 101, AHETEMS Over the years, RLDC has evolved from a student conference to one that includes the participation and training of professional members. Most recently, it expanded to involve pre-college students associated with SHPE Jr. chapters. While each RLDC has features that distinguish it from others, organizers and attendees gain valuable knowledge by interacting with the conference’s corporate supporters. and high school students and their parents. “We can’t just think about bettering ourselves,” explained Arianna Raymundo, chairwoman. “It’s our obligation to get kids interested in STEM fields at an early age, to increase our numbers and the probability of succeeding in these fields.” To that end, the pre-college students built rockets and alarm systems and were inspired by keynote speakers: astronaut Jose Hernandez and Dr. Emir Jose Macari, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. The 24 professional participants found value in “Personality Styles” by Skill Path and a Toastmasters workshop that offered practical advice for improving communication on the job. and OneSHPE workshops which serve as an introduction to the Society’s operations, programs and services. Diana Gomez, SHPE National president, and other members of the National Board of Directors who attended the RLDCs were impressed by how well students and professionals collaborated in organizing the programs. “The level of instruction, training and interaction as well as the innovative ideas produced are the best evidence that SHPE truly is producing the next generation of leaders and fulfilling its mission to be The Source for Quality Hispanic Engineers and Technical Talent,” she said. For many students, “Life of a SHPE Leader” is their first interaction with regional and national leaders as well as a glimpse into what their responsibilities entail. This year, the National GEM Consortium expanded its partnership with the Society by providing workshops on graduate education in several regions. The RLDC format also allows sponsoring companies to provide training in professional and career development areas. “We also would like to thank the corporate, university and other supporters for enhancing the quality of the training for all participants,” Gomez added. 66 Region I In Region I, RLDC featured concurrent programming for university and professional chapter leaders but also for local middle Region II “With the theme Excellence from Within: Strive Achieve and Excel, we emphasized that all should try to be the best engineers that they could be because they were capable of being the best,” said Joshua Hamilton, RLDC II representative. The students demonstrated this as they worked in teams SHPE ❘ Fall 2008

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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