EWeekRecap

When the time comes of having to decide what career to pursue, a lot of people tend to lean more towards medicine, law, teaching, nursing, business, and finance just because these are the fields that are most familiar to them. Nevertheless, very few people have an idea of what the field of engineering entails.

Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, sponsored by the Society of Women Engineers, is a day whose purpose is to inform girls about engineering in general and the numerous types of engineering fields that exist. This day is meant to inspire girls and show them that they do have a place in engineering.

“In just one day girls can gain knowledge on all of the different types of engineering, share in other women’s engineering experience, and have some fun,” the school’s technology director Mrs. Veronica Recio said.

Seventeen students participated in this year’s IGED, which due to COVID-19 had to be done virtually. However, the present circumstances did not hinder the students’ ability to partake in the day’s activities or prevent them from learning and enjoying this experience as much as possible.

“IGED really opened my eyes up to the many options I would have if I were to become an engineer,” junior Samantha Bezos said, one of the students who attended IGED.

Throughout the day, the girls listened to several women engineers talk about what a day at work is like for them, do activities that drove them to think outside the box, and were encouraged to ask lots of questions.

“My favorite activity was definitely building a bridge out of toothpicks, straws, and marshmallows. It was a bit difficult at first, but eventually I was able to complete the task,” said junior Alissa Gonzalez-Mir.

Besides showing a preview of what a career in engineering would be like, IGED taught the participants valuable lessons that could serve as a guide in the future.

“IGED taught me that gender roles don’t define a profession. You can be whatever you want to be,” Bezos said.

Furthermore, the girls were made aware of the need of engineers in this increasingly technological, rapidly changing world. In fact, right now there are more engineering jobs than there are qualified applicants.