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Joining forces with Intel and UPWARD, a global network for executive women, the School of Engineering has launched a new mentoring program for undergraduate women in STEM at Santa Clara.

Named UPWARD U.N.I.T.E.S. Women (the acronym stands for Universities Networking with Intel for Tomorrow’s Engineering and Sciences), the program pairs 42 Broncos with 21 Intel mentors and includes a series of monthly hosted virtual events bringing students, faculty, engineers, and industry thought leaders together.

Katie Wilson, professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Ricardo Padilla, Jr., outreach and diversity programs manager for the School of Engineering, are leading the program for SCU. Professor Wilson notes, “While we know that diversity in the workplace is good for business, statistics show that women make up only about 20
percent of those earning a bachelor’s degree in engineering, and only 30 percent of those women are still working in STEM fields 20 years later. The goal of UPWARD U.N.I.T.E.S. Women is to build a supportive community of women engineers and scientists that will empower everyone involved to lead more fulfilling and productive careers in technical fields. Bringing Santa Clara STEM women together with mentors from Intel and executive women from the UPWARD network is our way of helping to move the needle forward on those statistics, by helping them see themselves succeeding, both now and into their future careers.”