Meanwhile, WIE tripled the size of the Students Exploring Engineering event targeted to middle schoolers, growing from roughly 40 students to 140 this spring. And Harris said they’ve worked to cram more into those hours on campus, with students learning about five engineering disciplines instead of two or three.
The same kind of expansion mindset is driving increases in programs designed to support women once they arrive on campus as Georgia Tech students.
The undergraduate Mentors and Mentees program also tripled in size, serving 150 students this year. WIE staff have been working to drive attendance at their corporate and professional development workshops, being more intentional about spreading the word to current students and seeing dozens more attend as a result.
Grad Students and Postdocs Welcome
In the fall, WIE piloted a new initiative specifically for graduate students, a group the program hadn’t targeted directly before. The Graduate Women’s Leadership Development Program offered executive coaching and structured learning for 30 students — covering everything from lab management to building a successful career.
Ph.D. student Yulizza Henao-Barragan joined the group to build her leadership skills so she can be an effective faculty member and contribute to her community once she finishes her degree. She said the tools and techniques she received from leadership coach and trainer Angelique Adams inspired her.
“I’m learning how to become a better role model, and this experience taught me how to know myself to improve my skills both at work and in my personal life,” said Henao-Barragan, who studies with Russell Gentry in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “Dr. Angelique’s methods and step-by-step explanations are so clear that I now feel empowered to pursue a better version of myself.”
Henao-Barragan is five years into her doctoral studies, but for grad students just getting started, the program also added in a mentoring circle…
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