Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)

SHPE:

The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers is the largest Hispanic Engineering and Science organization across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. One of 236 student chapters, SHPE-MIT was established in 1987 and has grown to become one of the strongest and most successful chapters in the Northeast. SHPE-MIT is dedicated to developing the professional and academic skills of our members by offering them internship, networking, mentoring, and diversity awareness opportunities. Find out more at shpe.mit.edu.

 

SHPE’s Community Service:

SHPE’s Community Service branch is dedicated to engaging the Greater Boston Area and beyond through three main pillars: Noche de Ciencias, the Youth Empowerment and Education Initiative, and the Far Reaching Social Media Awareness Program. Each branch targets different student demographics with the unifying goal to empower young Latinx students to pursue academic success through higher education.

 

Noche de Ciencias:

This yearly event is a festival-type fair, in which families and students are exposed to and participate in STEM activities and projects around MIT’s student center. Every year, we invite MIT students and groups from several different departments to exhibit their research and projects. Additionally, we have invited admissions representatives and financial aid officers to answer any questions from families on the college process. In an effort to engage elementarily, middle, and high school students’ interest in pursuing STEM in higher education and beyond, this year’s Noche de Ciencias will be held on April 3rd from 6-8pm at the Stratton Student Center.

 

Youth Empowerment and Education Initiative:

This initiative aims to connect current MIT students with underserved high school students in the Greater Boston Area through a shared passion for STEM. Partnering with the Boston Higher Education Resource Center, MIT students plan and lead intro level, highly interactive STEM-Based workshops that allow students to develop curiosity and insight into STEM subjects. With the intention to develop meaningful relationships, these workshops are taught with a one-to-one student to student ratio in mind. With plans to expand the project into Cambridge, we hope to grow our impact in our community. If your group is interested in having our students lead workshops, please feel free to contact us.

 

Far-Reaching Social Media Awareness Program:

The Social Media Awareness Program was made with the motivation to impact students on a  larger scale. Although multiple outlets exist that showcase and demystify higher education, only a few do so through a diverse lens. With hopes to engage students in a conversation about higher education on familiar social platforms, SHPE is in the process of creating a youtube channel that will analyze and dissect what it’s like to be a first-generation Latinx student pursuing higher education. Our long term vision is to see SHPE directly involved through multiple social media platforms and establish a presence through captivating, informative videos. As our most ambitious project with the highest potential for growth, we would love to collaborate with others in any capacity.

If you have any questions about any of our projects or would be interested in getting involved, please feel free to email us at shpe-comm-serve@mit.edu.