SHPE - Spring 2009 - (Page 12)

BROWSER Three H’s of Going from Intern to Hire For the past three years, CDM has worked closely with AHETEMS to provide scholarship and internship opportunities to SHPE students. According to CDM’s Michael W. Luersen, P.E., Group Leader, Electrical Services, the program has a twofold purpose. “Not only does it give candidates an idea of what the company does and help them decide if this is the direction they want to pursue,” he said, “but it also helps us evaluate how a candidate will perform as an engineer with our company.” Last year, CDM extended an employment offer to one of its SHPE interns, Humberto Branco, an electrical engineering master’s student at CSU Sacramento. In order to accept the position, Branco accelerated his studies and graduated one semester early. Having worked closely with him, Luersen identified three key qualities that contributed to Branco’s transition to full time employment. Hunger “He has an inner drive for knowledge,” Luersen said. “In our line of work, we use complex programs to analyze complete power distribution systems. He took to these programs, and whatever he didn’t know he would dig and dig until he got the answers to make it work. He was very aggressive and resourceful and was willing to do what it takes to get the work done.” Humility “Occasionally there are people that are extremely smart, very aggressive, very resourceful, but they are also arrogant and think they know everything,” Luersen said. “Humberto wasn’t like that. He was eager to learn and would constantly ask questions. For example, there are those that when you tell them to draw something up a certain way; they are happy to do their assigned task. Then you have people like Humberto, who will ask questions like, ‘What is the advantage of doing it this way over another way?’ The inquisitive, teachable nature is extremely beneficial in our line of work.” Honesty “Humberto’s work ethic was what you expect to see in a senior person,” Luersen explained. “You never had to tell him twice how to do something, and he would get it done in half the time that you were expecting him to do it.” Luersen added, “If we had three more like Humberto, I could retire!” Like many of the Society’s sponsors, CDM continues to identify highly qualified talent through SHPE. “I’m happy to see that our program is producing the results we expected and providing a return on investment for the companies,” said Rafaela Ornelas-Schwan, SHPE Director of External Affairs and Programs. ■ NOTAR Officials from the Hispanic IT Executive Council recently unveiled its first HITEC 100 list, which recognizes the nation’s top Hispanic executives and rising stars within information technology for 2008. Their selection was based on individual achievements in the industry, professional level, scope of responsibility, position held in their companies, as well as their involvement in boards and diversity initiatives. SHPE congratulates professionals members listed among HITECH’s 100: David Cagigal, Chief Information Technology Officer with Alliant Energy; Pedro Celis, Distinguished Engineer with Microsoft Corporation; Alejandro Mainetto, Senior Director, Application Development with New York City Department of Education; Armando Ruiz, Senior Vice President / Chief Technology Officer with Lexis Nexis; and Maria Tapia, Manager, STG Lab Services with IBM Corporation. Special congratulations also go to IPC representative Fernando Rosario, Senior Manager with Accenture. SHPE Reminders NILA 2009 The National Institute for Leadership Advancement (NILA) will be held from August 5-9, 2009, at the American Airlines Training & Conference Center in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. NILA workshops provide student and professional chapter officers with advanced training in leadership, communication and strategic planning. In addition to networking opportunities, the NILA experience equips participants with tools to enhance their value at school, on the job, in the chapter, within the community and the Society. For more information or to register, visit www.shpe.org. EOY Reports By Antonina Robles, National Affairs Committee Chairwoman The End of the Year (EOY) Report is a great opportunity for student and professional chapters to showcase what they have done throughout the year. Here are a few tips to complete a perfect EOY report. 1. Follow the NEW guidelines and template. 2. Meet the deadline: April 15, 2009. 3. Complete Continuous Feedback Forms (CFF) accurately for all five categories: Professional Development, Leadership Development, Chapter Development, Academic Development* and Outreach/Community Service. 4. Provide an events calendar, chapter history and continuity of programs. 5. Provide a list of viable and attainable goals. 6. Provide a summary of accomplishments and achieved goals. 7. Ensure professional presentation by reviewing style and checking spelling/grammar. 8. Include advisor’s signature.* 9. Provide a conclusion. 10. Don’t exceed the 50-page limit. * applies to student chapters only Submitting the EOY Report has never been easier. Simply log on to OneSHPE and click on “Chapter Tools.” After selecting the university, select report and click submit. For more information, contact Antonina Robles, NAC chairwoman, at nac@shpe.org. Don’t Forget to Vote By Jennifer Argüello, Elections Committee Chairwoman SHPE National will soon hold elections to determine the new members of the National Board of Directors (NBOD) and regional student representatives (RSRs). The NBOD professional positions up for election this year are the national president and vice president and regional vice presidents for Region I, Region III, Region V and Region VII. Their two-year term of office runs from July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2011. Three student members are also elected to the NBOD: the national and vice national undergraduate representatives and the national graduate representative. Seven positions are also available for RSRs, one from each region. The one-year term of office for student representatives is from July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010. Ballots are sent to eligible voters on April 4 and are due back for processing on May 16. Winners and runoff elections (if necessary) are scheduled shortly after. For more information, contact Jennifer Argüello, elections chairwoman, at elections@shpe.org. 12 SHPE ❘ Spring 2009 http://www.shpe.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SHPE - Spring 2009

SHPE - Spring 2009 Contents President’s Letter A Letter from the CEO Calendar Browser Diana Gomez, SHPE: The People's President Grace Lieblein, GM: A Driving Force in Mexico Dr. Elsa Murano, Texas A&M: Education with Impact Regions Connect and Explore Common Base 'Learn by Doing' A Grad Degree, for Free? Programs & Services Think, Pair, Share: Partnering to Increase STEM Awareness Inner Circle Employer Profiles STAR Awards: Call for Nominations Regional Roundup

SHPE - Spring 2009

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