SWE Hosts Evening of Style and Networking

02-19-18

With the number of female engineering students steadily climbing each year, the Society of Women Engineers is more important than ever. The LSU SWE chapter strives to create a community of mutual support to encourage women to reach their maximum potential as engineers and leaders.

“My job as president is to make it more of a community for women so they have a support system, because engineering is so tough,” said Aida Hendrickson, LSU SWE president and a senior in mechanical engineering. “We like to create a network with your peers that makes (college) a little easier and through professional development to give women the tools to be successful engineers.”

One way LSU SWE is helping students is by hosting the annual Women Impacting Style in Engineering (WISE) dinner and style show. The event gives female engineers the opportunity to network with female professionals and learn what to wear in a field that is predominantly male.

“Guys can wear khakis and a polo and be fine, but I don’t look good in khakis and polos,” Kendrickson laughed. “It’s a way to show women that you can be feminine and cute and still be a good engineer.”

WISE provides the students the opportunity to meet and work with female professionals in engineering, computer science and construction management. The program will also feature Holly Jackson, chemical engineer at Marathon Oil, as speaker. The dinner will be followed by the style show, which will feature various looks that project a professional image. There will be 14 models showcasing different looks that include interview, company tailgate, business casual, casual Friday and awards banquet attire. There is also a “What Not to Wear” category.

“It’s items girls have in their closet that they would wear to dinner with friends, and while it’s cute, it may not be considered professional,” Hendrickson said.

So, while looks aren’t everything, it’s better to be ahead of the curve when it comes to entering the professional world.

WISE will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 27, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Student Union Cotillion Ballroom. The event is free, but tickets must be reserved in advance by visiting this link.

Attire for the event is business professional.

 

By Libby Haydel
Communications Specialist
ehaydel1@lsu.edu
225-578-4840