By: Sarah Gerovac
While women have been allowed to attend UW-Madison since 1875, the first female engineering student did not graduate until 1922. This milestone propelled a slow stream of progress for women in the College of Engineering. Over a century later, the college is home to many inspiring, driven individuals who have worked hard to find their own communities on campus.
Annie Thevara, a senior in Chemical Engineering intending to pursue a career in pharmaceuticals, is one such example. Thevara serves as the President of the UW-Madison Society of Women Engineers (SWE) chapter.
“I joined SWE as a freshman and really enjoyed being able to be part of a community of underrepresented genders in engineering,” she explains. “In my classes over the past three years, I’ve formed a group of women in chemical engineering. More importantly, I’ve found a community.”
Another member of SWE, Electrical and Computer Engineering PhD student Olivia D’Souza discusses her own experiences as a woman in engineering.
“On campus, the safest spaces that I have been in are the ones that are filled with women. Being in engineering, it’s easy to feel lonely, but being in spaces like SWE has helped me build not only so much confidence in myself but also so much hope for women in STEM and engineering in general.”
SWE is not the only extracurricular that aided D’Souza’s professional development. “When I first joined BSR [Badger Solar Racing], I had no experience in engineering at all… BSR has taught me so many technical skills, but also the soft skills that are required to become an engineer.”
Jovita D’Souza, a sophomore studying Computer Engineering, has also been taking strides to figure out where her career will lead. She attributes this to a class that’s helping her learn more about the field, explaining, “I’m really enjoying ECE203. It’s helping me realize that I’m understanding things a bit more, which is very encouraging, especially once you find a group of friends in the class who you can bounce ideas off of. It’s solidifying in helping me affirm my place in the College of Engineering.”
“Within that community there’s the opportunity to get assigned mentorship squads where two underclassmen are paired up with upperclassmen for the year. It’s a cool way to meet a bunch of people, ask questions if you’re one of the younger students, and look at classes, internships, and research [since] older students share their experiences.”
Brooke Ehle, a fifth-year student in Mechanical Engineering, has been involved in the Women in Mechanical Engineering group since her freshman year, which provides mentorship opportunities from fellow women in engineering.
Mia Leukert, another fifth year in Mechanical Engineering, also noted the importance of finding fellow women in classes and building connections early on. “I was a TA for ME201, which was an awesome experience and a great way to build professor connections and promote engineering …. In those first few introductory classes, if women don’t feel safe or comfortable or empowered, they become a lot more likely to decide to switch out.”
From solar cars to pharmaceuticals, these women demonstrate what being a Badger Engineer is all about: empowering others to find and follow their own passions. One of the most important things to enable this is creating spaces for women to learn, grow, and feel a sense of belonging throughout their journey.