I am beyond honored and thrilled to have been a part of a group of SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers) members who attended a briefing on “Building the Next Generation of Hispanic Leaders in STEM” held by the Office of Public Engagement at the White House in Washington, DC and organized by SHPE’s Government Relations department.
It has been an immense privilege to be a SHPE member since 2010 and to be a witness to SHPE’s growth and impact throughout the years.
As the daughter of Mexican immigrants, I can honestly say that this is something I never thought I would have the opportunity to experience. Thank you SHPE for your commitment to helping so many of us succeed and for continuing to have conversations that matter.
Having a seat at the table is something I do not take lightly and I was proud to represent Honeywell in highlighting the value of building a diverse workforce.
The purpose of the briefing was to bring together Administration officials and SHPE representatives for a meaningful discussion of how academia, the private sector, and government can meet labor needs, lower barriers, and increase representation, while constructing a sustainable education and domestic workforce pipeline of Hispanic students and professionals in STEM.
The delegation from SHPE included Hispanic students and young professionals who are pursuing a degree and career in various STEM disciplines, who are best able to recommend the most impactful types of support to help them complete their degree and feel like they belong in an industry that traditionally lacks Hispanic representation. Also joining the discussion were members of SHPE’s Academic and Industry Partnership Council members who were best able to highlight the value of building a diverse workforce in both private and public sectors.
It was an incredible day filled with important conversations. I am still processing and struggling to describe what an impactful and powerful experience it truly was but I will do my best.
I was there representing one of six industry partners (Bechtel, Boeing, General Motors, Honeywell, Proctor & Gamble, Medtronic) and was happy to provide my personal experience as a Honeywell engineer and Program Manager for our SHPE recruiting efforts.
I am very excited and honored to support Honeywell in this capacity as Honeywell has truly supported me in my career and in my efforts to increase diversity especially with the work we’ve done with SHPE these last several years.
There were three breakout sessions at the event:
- Early exposure to STEM careers (K-12)
- Gender equity in the field
- Workforce development and federal resources available
Before attending the briefing, I was told that I would be participating in Session 2: Gender equity in the field. I have been involved in SHPE since 2010, becoming a Lifetime member in 2022 thanks to Honeywell’s sponsorship. Throughout the years, I’ve met amazing SHPEtinas (women in engineering) and one of these women reached out after hearing the news to offer me the opportunity to practice my talking points and provide an additional SHPEtina perspective. As someone who understands the importance of diversity of thought, I knew that I had to take the opportunity but I decided to go even further and invited over 20 Latina engineers who have supported Honeywell’s recruitment efforts at SHPE over the last several years to get even more insight into the barriers Latinas face in STEM.
We had a wonderful and candid discussion and I was able to walk away with experiences from women of all ages, career levels, and business groups. I was ready for the briefing.
I will not lie, I was absolutely 100% nervous because I knew how important this event was. I knew how important it was to SHPE, to Honeywell, to me, but more impotently to the future generations whos futures will be affected by what we discuss, what we prioritize, and what actions we pursue.
After the briefing at The White House, I am even more inspired to continue working to make Honeywell and the industry as a whole a more diverse place to work. Honeywell has done a phenomenal job but there is still work to be done. I am confident that SHPE and the federal government will continue this partnership to bring more Hispanics into STEM but I am thrilled that I can take my own actions within Honeywell to make my own impact.
After the session on gender equity in the field that lasted an hour (and to be honest, we could have kept the conversation going all day), I had the honor to give the summary of our session. I had 10 minutes to prepare and enlisted the help of two SHPEtinas to help me organize the thoughts and help me decide what the highlights of the session were as the three of us had very different backgrounds: an automotive engineer, an aerospace engineer, and an engineering professor. Between the three of us, we managed to select the issues that were important to all of us: Visibility and Representation, The Importance of Creating Allies, Wage Transparency, Re-entry Programs for Women, Promotions, Education Ecosystem.
It was amazing and there were so many amazing conversations with government officials. We also had the opportunity to tour the Office of the Vice President which was such a treat.
After the briefing I went to dinner with a friend and I still hadn’t fully processed everything and when I started speaking about my experience I was hit with a wave of emotions. It felt surreal to be at The White House. I, a child of immigrants, was making my voice heard. The government officials actively listened and I’m hopeful actions will come that will help SHPE do more of the amazing work they do: which is to change lives.
I also met so many impressive people within SHPE and I cannot wait to reunite with them at the SHPE National Convention later this year. SHPE did a great job of selecting SHPE members that truly represented the entire membership: from high school students to collegiate students to young professionals to industry and academic partners. We all brought something valuable to share and I have never been more proud to be surrounded by such Hispanic excellence.
I am eternally grateful for all of the support that Honeywell has given me, in my own engineering career and also in my desire to promote diversity and inclusion. Prior to the briefing, I had several Honeywell leaders reach out, wish me luck and offer guidance. When I am recruiting at SHPE Conventions, I like to mention that at Honeywell our leaders value inclusion and diversity so it means a lot to hear from leadership.
I also had the opportunity to meet with Honeywell’s government relations department and again, I truly felt heard. I have never been prouder to work for Honeywell.
Thank you Honeywell and SHPE for this amazing opportunity that I will never forget. I do not take for granted the support of diversity and inclusion from Honeywell as I know not all companies are as supportive.
I hope this inspires you to say yes to opportunities that bring fear, especially if that opportunity can lead to change and success for your community.
See below to read more about my involvement with SHPE:
Thank You SHPE For Changing My Life
To The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Thank You
How To Be An Enthusiastic Leader!
Thank you all for reading, and stay enthusiastic!
Feel free to follow the adventure on social media
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-Maira