Forging Connections with Purdue Alumnae

I believe that one aspect that makes the Purdue Women in Engineering (WiE) program so unique is how it goes beyond just serving the current students at Purdue. WiE fosters a community of support and passion in the engineering field for students in elementary school through college and definitely makes a point to stay connected to alumnae. Purdue alumnae always claim to love coming back to campus and supporting the WiE community. And current students benefit greatly from opportunities to hear about experiences in the industry, ask any questions on their minds or for advice, and building our network! Here are some of the many ways the Women in Engineering program and Purdue help current students stay connected with its massive alumni network:

Jessica Traver Ingram (ME'14) speaks at an Access Alum event

Access Alum Events

Access Alum events, organized by the Women in Engineering program, is a great opportunity to have informal chats, face to face with Purdue alumnae. The alumnae that return to campus represent companies like Eli Lilly, NASA, Caterpillar, Dr. Pepper and many more! Events are happening almost every week in a comfy nook around campus and the idea is to have an open, honest conversation with the alumnae about their experiences at that company, to reflect on experiences at Purdue, how they overcame obstacles in the industry and what advice they have for us to succeed. A lot of the time, they are also accepting resumes for their company! The upcoming events are always featured in the weekly Women in Engineering email, so you’ll never miss out on a career-defining conversation! Overall, this is an amazing opportunity to get your questions answered, shake off any nerves you might have about talking to professionals and build your network with women who truly care about the development of current female engineering students at Purdue. Also, WiE’s student employees are offered the opportunity to host these events, which builds even better connections and helps us learn how to mediate such open, professional conversations.

ENGR 194 Seminar

ENGR 194 is a 1-credit seminar offered by the Women in Engineering program mainly taken by first-year engineering students during their first semester on campus. The main mission of this seminar is to help first-year engineers foster connections with professionals and Purdue alumni as soon as they begin the FYE curriculum. Every week, they bring in a professional from a different discipline and industry. The timing is ideal for students who have doubts about which engineering major they want to choose after first-year engineering and it even makes some people consider a completely new discipline/industry/career path! Personally, I’ve always found speaking with professionals in the industry incredibly motivating. It’s eye-opening to hear about the unique journeys of women who once sat in the same seats we sit in today. We are able to hear about the steps they took to achieve their goals, their takeaways from their many successes and failures, and how they overcame obstacles commonly faced by a minority in the workplace. You can ask your advisor to add this seminar to your course schedule during your orientation and can learn  more about the seminar here!

Mentees & Mentors

Another amazing resource provided by the Women in Engineering program is the Mentees & Mentors program. While the main mission of M&M is to enhance personal support for first year students settling in on campus by fostering an interactive, mutually-beneficial peer mentoring relationship with an upperclassman in engineering, the program’s monthly meetings often bring in a guest speaker! After everyone enjoys a nice dinner surrounded by mentees and mentors from all of the different engineering disciplines, some fun activities and constructive conversations about professional skills, a Purdue alum usually comes in to share their insights. Once you’re an upperclassmen, you can continue in the program as a mentor and continue seeing those familiar faces around.

Social Media

Even when Alumnae aren’t able to be physically present on campus, they still love to make an impact and connect with current students! The best way for them to reach a wide audience is through Women in Engineering program’s social media platforms. The Engineering Experience blog has posted many personal accounts from alumnae, some of which are linked below. The Purdue WiE program instagram (@purduewiep) and facebook are always featuring alumnae too!

Kat Kerr (BME ‘21)

Anna Giesler (MSE ‘20) 

Alli Hanlon (IE ‘21) 

Christy Lane (IDE ‘96) 

Career Fairs

Purdue has all kinds of career fairs (i.e. industrial roundtable, expo) going on around campus all year round. They are organized by various student organizations or academic departments to attract companies and their recruiters from every discipline, industry and career path. Oftentimes, the recruiters that choose to come to Purdue campus and scout the talent are Purdue alumni! They are aware of the amazing talent and ambition that students at Purdue have and look forward to forging connections between us and their companies to help us grow professionally. Even if that internship opportunity you were hoping for doesn’t work out for you that semester, chances are you’ll have the opportunity to see some familiar faces and continue an old conversation at a future career fair!

Aikya Chirra, BME'23

WE Link Leadership Team

Stay Connected With Purdue WiE Program!

Facebook: Purdue Women in Engineering

Instagram: @purduewiep

Blog: purduewiep.blogspot.com

Email: welink@purdue.edu

Use the hashtag #PurdueWiE on Facebook and Instagram!

Purdue Women in Engineering