SCU NSBE Voted Best Small Chapter
Congratulations to our SCU National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) student organization named their region's Best Small Chapter at the 2018 NSBE National Convention! Chapter President Uche Agwu reports that SCU members attended the NSBE convention in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 21-25, where they joined more than 10,000 current and future engineers for professional and leadership development, technical training, networking, and career opportunities. There, our Broncos made valuable connections and had interviews for graduate schools and internships.
Active in both national and regional events, SCU NSBE hosted the North California Zone Summit in February this year. The CIO of NASA Ames Research Center gave a keynote address on the importance of blacks in STEM, Boston Scientific held a resume workshop, and Regional NSBE representatives presented NSBE’s history and opportunities found at the national convention.
While the national convention is an annual highlight, here on campus throughout the year SCU's NSBE chapter fosters an environment of academic success, camaraderie, and professionalism to motivate its members to reach their career and educational goals. The group hosts weekly study halls, mentoring opportunities for underclass students, and a “Greatness Recognizes Greatness” series where black STEM professionals are recognized at each bi-weekly general meeting. They have also invited representatives of companies such as Visa and Accenture to attend their meetings to give advice and feedback for connecting with professionals, conduct resume workshops, and provide opportunities at their companies for SCU members.
Beyond nurturing their own aspirations, reaching out to the engineers of tomorrow is a passion of SCU NSBE members. Each May they hold engineering workshops on campus to give over 100 middle school students the opportunity to practice different engineering principles. "We received a lot of great responses from students and their parents, as well," said Agwu. "And we have also hosted smaller and more intimate events, with the local Jack and Jill program and with Greene Scholars Program [named for SCU alumnus and Silicon Valley pioneer Frank S. Greene, Jr., Ph.D.], where we give students a tour of our campus, the engineering facilities, and offer workshops to expose them to STEM principles.
"It was such an honor to be selected as the Region's Best Small Chapter," said Agwu. "We stand on the shoulders of chapter members who came before us. The SCU NSBE chapter has done great work with aiding our members and setting the foundation for future black engineers. As a chapter, we will continue to strive toward greatness and hold NSBE’s mission of advancing the success of black students and engineers at the core of everything we do."