Minority Engineering Students Get Chance to Make First Impression

BATON ROUGE - The LSU College of Engineering Office of Diversity recently hosted its annual First Impressions program at the Club at Union Square.

Minority engineering students at the First Impressions eventThe event partners with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and the LSU Black Male Leadership Initiative (BMLI) to demonstrate the importance of a strong first impression when interacting and networking with industry professionals and representatives.

Students participated in a networking session with industry professionals and received a business and dining etiquette lesson from LSU Olinde Career Center Coach Raylea Rideau. Afterward, students dined with representatives from companies like Shell and Chevron, both event sponsors.

Morris Jones, an environmental engineer with Shell, praised students for attending the event.

“I am very impressed with all of you being here, looking for answers from industry and mentors at LSU,” Jones said. “You are investing in yourself.”

The keynote speaker for the evening was Fredrick Walker, Chevron Oronite Americas regional manager of manufacturing and supply chain. A year and a half ago, the Newton, Miss.-native was named Chevron’s first African-American chemical plant manager.

“I am in a position to help those who are coming behind me,” Walker said. “That is my passion.”

Walker shared with the audience some of his journey of working in the industry for several years while balancing life as a husband and father. He encouraged guests to be aware of their first impressions.

“These kinds of thoughts and considerations can impact your career,” Walker explained. “I have seen it and lived through it.”

First Impressions was born out of a related event, the LSU Society of Women Engineers’ annual Women Impacting Style in Engineering (WISE).

Jada Lewis, assistant dean of diversity in the College of Engineering, recalled that six years ago, male engineering students wanted to learn about dressing professionally and have networking opportunities in a more relaxed environment, similar to the sister program.

From this idea, the concept of “It’s a Guy Thing,” was born. The Office of Diversity hosted a social event for male students to play laser tag and other games to get students outside of the classroom.

“We tossed around a few different titles and came up with First Impressions, because as men, especially as men of color, you have to make a positive impression,” Lewis said. 

First-year BMLI member Demetrice Conday believes this event is important for minority students to interact with major engineering companies.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to have this event,” Conday said.

 

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By Raven Nichols, Communications Intern