In high school, I was the president and co-founder of a Women in Science and Engineering club. This club was very important to me because I wanted to bond with women who have similar interests. One of the many things we did in the club was connect with SWE members at Ohio State. My pen pal for my senior year was so helpful in guiding my decision for college. She made such a large impact on me that I want to do the same for someone else. This is how I knew I wanted to join SWE as soon as I came to Ohio State.
At first, I was not sure how I was going to find SWE. Luckily, I bumped into their table at the Student Involvement Fair. I decided to attend the ice cream social they were hosting. Interestingly enough, I sat down at the same table as my pen pal. She was so nice, and it was awesome to finally meet her in person. Since I made a connection so quickly with SWE, I felt like I was already apart of the club. I have gone to almost every major event SWE has held since. Each meeting I sat by someone new and made a friend. SWE has already proven to be very beneficial for social networking.
SWE also helped me network with recruiters for my dream job at P&G. This was my first real experience with networking. I now feel more comfortable and confident with the branding process. SWE provides additional benefits with the organization. They hold volunteering events that can count towards my STEM Scholars credit. They host fun bonding activities, like potting succulents and painting the jars. (Shown in picture above) They are a national organization, so joining the club at Ohio State will help me reach a professional goal.
It is amazing to have so many benefits within one club, but it can get overwhelming. Luckily, SWE does not hold me to attending every meeting. It is purely up to my choice on what event to participate. This reduces the stress of adding more plans to my busy schedule. This way I do not feel guilty for skipping a meeting to work on homework. Having the freedom of attendance is another reason I decided to stay in SWE. Ohio State has so many events and clubs that I initially did not know how to manage it all. Through trial and error, I decided the two main clubs I would stick with for this year are SWE and ChemE Car. Although finding the right clubs seemed challenging, I believe it was useful to have such a large amount of student organizations. Having so many options forced me to branch out of my comfort zone. This reminded me why I came to Ohio State in the first place. At least one of the endless opportunities will always fit my interests as I grow throughout the years I spend here. I will always have some place to find people with similar interests.