The National SWE 2008 Conference took place in Baltimore, Maryland on November 6-9, 2008.  Ten SWE members from University of Louisville attended the event and had an amazing time. When asked one word to describe the experience, the words “empowering,” “mind-opening,” “rejuvenating,” “enlightening,” and “SWEet” were just a few used to sum up the trip! Here is what eight of the ten girls had to say about the Conference!

Click Here to see some of the Region G members sing and dance to their version of "Glamorous" by Fergi at the Celebrate SWE ceremony during the National Conference!

Alina Carrillo, Civil Engineering, Senior

“I was hoping to have a good time and get some networking in with other students and with future employers. At the career fair…I liked UPS and John Deere for giving us the tiny airplanes and John Deere hats!... Jacobs seemed like a really interesting company with a lot of possible opportunities.  I really liked HNTB, a structural engineering firm.  The two women I talked to seemed really nice and were very helpful; they have many opportunities to travel.”

Cassie House, Chemical Engineering, Senior

 “At the National SWE conference, I wanted to understand what job opportunities there were for a Chemical Engineer.  I wanted to network with employers so when I am ready for my full time job I will have contacts… I really enjoyed the career fair.  I really liked talking to MSA, International Paper, and Whirlpool.  When talking to these employers I felt they were very honest about the work I would be doing if I were to work there and they were very informative and willing to keep contact with me for a possible future full time job.”

Katie Gardner, Industrial Engineering, Freshman

 “I was hoping to get ideas of companies where I might want to later pursue a co-op or full-time position… At the National Conference, I fully realized all of the opportunities that my degree would allow.  I was introduced to dozens of companies where I could later find work, and also realized what different positions my education would allow for in various companies or fields… I loved the career fair.  My favorite employers were Target, Hallmark, General Motors and various defense companies and contractors.  These companies had a variety of qualities that made them stick out in my mind.  They all had wonderful job descriptions for industrial engineers, and made IEs feel welcome, necessary, and significant within their companies.  They also seemed very open to students looking for co-ops, and took time to speak with each of us personally about what we were looking for in our jobs.”

Whitney Kullman, Chemical Engineering, Senior

“The career fair was mind-blowingly amazing! It was so huge and there were so many different companies!  I loved meeting with all of the energy companies, and especially meeting with the Duke Energy reps. I not only experienced another interview (with Exelon), which I had very little when looking for my first coop, but also solidified my third coop before continuing to my Masters year.  This was my greatest success during the trip.  Of course, representing UofL was also amazing.”

Jennifer Ellison, Chemical Engineering, Senior

“I wanted to represent the U of L SWE section as the current President at all meetings pertaining to our region. The best part of national conference was getting to interact with other section presidents and learning about events that work for their sections host, discussing the skills needed to be a president and meeting new people that I will stay in contact with in the future. The career fair was great. I spent the whole Friday at the career fair. I really enjoyed US Steel, Dow Chemical, and Kellogg’s; I plan on applying for jobs at these companies. I did not like Ford, because the recruiter from there had a negative attitude and she kept mentioning layoffs.”

Sarah Greenwell, Chemical Engineering, Senior

 “I wanted to see what conference was all about…so I will be prepared for next year when looking for a full time job. I also wanted to represent the U of L section. The career fair and hospitality suites were amazing. There were so many opportunities and job possibilities that I didn’t even know existed. I really liked Jacobs, Schlumberger, and US Steel because they offered jobs that were interesting to me.”

Mandy Scott, Mechanical Engineering, Senior

“I was excited to get the experience of seeing what all is out there, all the opportunities that are available after co-op and graduation. The best part of Nationals was seeing that there are so many opportunities available for engineers and getting to travel in a different city…. At the career fair, I really liked the variety of defense and aviation companies.  However, the food they served at the lunch and the dinner was awful.  I understand that there are professionals there, but the majority of people there are college students and we are pretty easy to please.”

Nitzia Cheong Ng, Chemical Engineering, Senior

 “I went to the National Conference to do research for jobs that sponsor international students and represent the UofL Section. The career fair was great. I found 15 companies that sponsor international students like Cummins, CDM, SAIC, ect. Those are the one that I like. I attended the F1 visa to H1 visa seminar. It was about how to obtain the H1 visa to be able to work in USA and how to get the green card later on through your company. It also had experiences from others that have already done it.”