we16 - lessons in leadership & influence
TRANSCRIPT
Who are we?GradSWE @ Illinois
To promote diversity in graduate education in engineering and science to enable innovative and creative solutions to the future technical challenges of society
● One of 10+ Illinois SWE committees
● Programming to enhance graduate student experience
● Mentoring and development opportunities
weSTEM
● Flagship event - from 50 to 150+ attendees
● Share experiences and provide insight
● Empower students to pursue unique paths
beINSPIREDstayMOTIVATED growPASSIONATE
Develop a Community
Assess current and future needs of your peers
● Communicate with target group
● Identify unique opportunities
● Seek out resources
● Partner with established groups
Design your Future
Create intentional spaces for graduate women to succeed
Structure programming to
● Address needs○ Professional○ Personal○ Academic
● Fit constraints○ Timing○ Size○ Cost
Discover new Potential
Build the right mix to connect with participants
Bring speakers who
● Highlight diversity of thought & background
● Connect through personal experiences
● Engage in new discussions
Devise aStrategy
Structure the environment to fit your priorities
● Tell a story○ Chronological○ Situational
● Build a format ○ Panel discussions○ Dual-track talks○ Breakout time
“Breakout sessions seemed too short”
“I was really hungry for dinner”
“Not a big fan of social networking hour”
“Afternoon giant cookies put everyone to sleep!”
Decipher Feedback
“There are a lot of good conversations that need to happen that happen at weSTEM”
“An inspirational, relaxing atmosphere in which networking… was easy and natural”
“It does a great job of providing mentors, a network, and of inspiring its attendees”
“This was a highly interactive and incredibly organized conference”
Decipher Feedback