Graduate Society of Women Engineers (GradSWE)

She Speaks STEM - GradSWE’s Podcast Initiative, She Speaks STEM, launched in September as a platform for graduate students to share research, career journeys, and perspectives on equity in STEM. Each month, we release episodes featuring: i. expert interviews (faculty, industry leaders, and peers) on topics like work-life balance, overcoming bias, and research breakthroughs; and ii. roundtable discussions where students debate challenges in academia and beyond. Episodes are promoted with discussion guides to spark a wide variety of conversations and topics. With 5+ episodes published and 100+ listens, feedback highlights how the podcast has created a sense of connection among students; and demystified career paths through candid stories. We plan to expand by inviting more national/international speakers in the future.

Book Club - GradSWE continued its Book Club which runs once a month. Participants meet in-person to discuss various aspects of “Thinking, Fast and Slow” (September to February), and “Mindset: The Psychology of Success” (May to August). This book club has created a community where graduate students can connect, diversify reading beyond their research areas, and share insights into women’s empowerment in personal and professional settings. For the first Book Club meeting, we held a kick-off event at a local pub to meet one another, converse over food and drinks, and raffle off hard copies of the first book. For subsequent in-person sessions, we provide light refreshments and snacks to create a more inviting environment. We have also chosen books with an available PDF version to ensure everyone can access the readings. Our Book Club currently has 5 members, with an average of 4 attendees per meeting. Feedback from members has been very positive; they have thoroughly enjoyed carving out this discussion time, and appreciate the questions prepared by our Book Club leaders to facilitate conversation.

HerSTORY IN THE MAKING - For International Women’s Day, GradSWE hosted its largest event to date—the International Women’s Day Gala “HerSTORY IN THE MAKING”—in collaboration with WISE. With 214 attendees, the 3-hour event featured:

• Remarks by Professor Yip, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering
• A keynote address delivered by Janice Liu, an entrepreneur and CEO of Mantis Group, on making one’s mark in the leadership and entrepreneurial landscape
• Two panel discussions with industry and academic leaders
• A networking dinner to foster connections.

Attendees gained actionable strategies for addressing identity-based challenges in their careers, along with practical advice for professional growth. The gala’s blend of inspiration and discussion made it one of our most impactful events yet. The industry panel consisted of a diverse set of successful engineers and entrepreneurs: Kimberly Ren, Rezwana Sharmin, Andrea Shiel, Julie Chowdury and Osarugue Ize-Iyamu. They all spoke about their journeys and challenges to navigating their own career paths, and shared advice on steps to take for finding a career path that aligns with identities. The academy panel consisted of women university professors: Emily Moore, Dione Aleman, and Emily Farrar. They all shared their experience as women working in academia and challenges they faced in the past and paths toward the future. This event's success was very gratifying for our volunteers who worked exceptionally hard in planning it. The event was hosted at the Hart House. We are grateful to have created this relationship with the WISE for future events.