November Webinar: Rematriate and Rise
Join the Women of Color in Engineering for a webinar designed to empower you with data, tools, and strategies to address and heal from workplace harm, including microaggressions, racism, and sexism, while safeguarding your well-being and understanding your legal rights. Led by the esteemed Sunny Myers, a proud citizen of the Lumbee and Sappony tribes and an experienced global leader with a background in engineering. The inspiration for Rematriate and Rise stems from the need to create a healing and empowering space for Women of Color to reclaim their voices and dignity in workplaces often marked by systemic harm. This curated space will be one of solidarity, support, and empowerment, where participants can share their experiences, learn actionable strategies for addressing microaggressions and discrimination, and deepen their understanding of legal protections.
Webinar Information:
Date: November 15, 2024
Time: 10 AM PST | 1PM EST
Registration link: https://bit.ly/rematriateandrise
Apply Today for the WCEC Travel Stipend
The Women of Color in Engineering Travel Stipend Program is an initiative designed to support the professional development of Women of Color in Engineering, addressing a critical need for greater DEI&B and support in this field. Recognizing the unique challenges faced by these professionals, the program will award a minimum of 15 stipends per grant cycle year, each valued up to $3,000. These stipends will alleviate some of the often-overlooked financial burdens associated with attending professional development opportunities, such as registration, airfare, lodging, and per diem to attend in-person and virtual professional development opportunities.
Stipends are available for women+ at all career levels!
Applicants are required to submit demographic information, details about their professional experience, a budget breakdown of their professional development opportunity (template provided), a statement of intent, and two scaled responses from a personal and professional reference.
Apply for the Travel Stipend Program here.
Do you already have access to great professional development opportunities? Want to make a contribution to the Women+ of Color Engineering Community? Apply to be part of our Volunteer Reviewer team for the Travel Stipend here.
For more information and updates about the Women of Color in Engineering Collaborative’s programming, please visit https://www.womenofcolorengineers.org
October Feature: Indigenous Inclusion in Engineering
A report by Engineers Canada
The report on Indigenous Inclusion in Engineering sheds light on a global issue that mirrors the challenges we see domestically: the underrepresentation and barriers faced by minority groups in STEM, particularly Indigenous communities. Conducted in Canada, this research underscores how Indigenous engineers experience inequities similar to those in the U.S. encounter. The findings emphasize that lack of diversity is not just a domestic concern but a global one, with Indigenous populations facing systemic obstacles both in education and their professional lives.
Key findings from the Canadian study highlight a persistent pay gap, with Indigenous engineers earning 7% less than their non-Indigenous peers. For Indigenous women and non-cisgender engineers, the gap widens, showcasing how multiple identities—gender, race, and cultural background—intersect to create compounded barriers. Similar to what we observe in the U.S., Indigenous engineers are largely underrepresented in senior leadership positions and face discrimination that hinders career advancement.
Educational disparities also run deep. Indigenous engineers in Canada reported significant challenges during their post-secondary education, particularly financial burdens (75%) and feelings of isolation (70%). Importantly, the report highlights the critical role of Indigenous-specific engineering programs, similar to how bridge and support programs for women of color are crucial for retention and success in STEM. However, these supports remain limited, with many Indigenous students lacking access to financial resources, mentorship, and academic support.
This report calls for action that aligns with the goals of our nonprofit: to increase representation of underrepresented groups in STEM through targeted support, mentorship, and advocacy. The lack of diversity in engineering, whether it’s Indigenous women+ in Canada or Women+ of Color in the U.S., is part of a broader, global issue that requires concerted efforts to create an inclusive and equitable STEM field for all.
Read the full article on Indigenous Inclusion in Engineering here.
Upcoming WCEC Member Events
The WCEC shares numerous professional activities offered by our member organizations. Member organizations are committed to creating a supportive, encouraging, and inclusive environment for WOC in engineering. Find out more about their events and register to attend!
SHPE National Convention
Anaheim, CA, October 30-November 3, 2024
Held annually in a different city, the convention brings together over 9,000 of the best and brightest Hispanic scientists, mathematicians, and engineers to celebrate our Familia through our STAR Awards, compete for top prize money showcasing their skills, and enhance skills and networking through our many workshop sessions and engagement events. For corporate sponsors, it is a beacon of top STEM talent. For SHPE members, it is a life-changing opportunity to build a dream career.
**The WCEC will be present at SHPE! We look forward to connecting with you.
SACNAS NDiSTEM Conference
Phoenix, AZ, October 31 - November 2
The largest multidisciplinary and multicultural STEM diversity conference in the country, SACNAS' premier conference is a gathering which serves to equip, empower, and energize participants for their academic and professional paths in STEM. Over the course of the event, college-level through professional attendees are immersed in cutting-edge STEM research, professional development sessions, motivational keynote speakers, and the Graduate School & Career Expo Hall, as well as multicultural celebrations and traditions, and an inclusive and welcoming community of peers, mentors, and role models. Simply put, the NDiSTEM Conference is a broadly inclusive space where you are encouraged and empowered to bring your whole self to STEM.
CoNECD
San Antonio, TX, February 9 - 11, 2025
The only conference dedicated to all the diverse groups that comprise our engineering and computing workforce. The vision of the CoNECD (pronounced, “connected”) Conference is to provide a forum for exploring current research and practices to enhance diversity and inclusion of all underrepresented populations in the engineering and computing professions including gender identity and expression, race and ethnicity, disability, veterans, LGBTQ+, 1st generation and socio-economic status.
**The WCEC will be presenting at CoNECD! We look forward to connecting with you.
ADVANCE Equity in STEM Community Convening
San Juan, PR, June 1 - 4, 2025
Since 2019, the NSF-funded ADVANCE Equity in STEM Community Convening, hosted by WEPAN, has served as the convening for NSF ADVANCE grantees in a format that facilitates engagement with change agents within and beyond the NSF ADVANCE community. The ADVANCE EiSCC brings together a variety of change makers from higher education, professional societies, industry, government, and non-profits in an engaged exchange of knowledge, resources, and support to drive systemic change in STEM.
Attendees have an opportunity to share new research findings and exchange resources; brainstorm strategies; collaborate in novel ways; learn about avenues for funding; and demonstrate effective programs and interventions for greater collective impact.
What is the Women of Color in Engineering Collaborative?
The Women of Color in Engineering Collaborative (WCEC) was created in 2021 as a partnership network of professional engineering societies and STEM-based companies. The WCEC is working to address systemic barriers that prohibit equitable work environments for women engineers of color.
Since its inception, the WCEC has grown to 29 organizations, created a shared vision and mission, and developed a strategic plan that will guide our efforts over the next few years. Thank you for your interest and support of our work. We hope that you will engage with the WCEC as we begin implementing the strategies aimed at tackling the major challenges facing women of color (WOC) in the engineering workplace.
Want to Get Involved?
Are you interested in having your organization become a member of the WCEC? Read our membership guidelines and fill out an application. Learn more.
While we don’t offer membership to individuals, we do want to grow the WCEC community! Soon we will begin collecting profiles of amazing WOC engineers for our Inspiring Leaders database. We are also collecting resources from our member organizations to place in our online Resource Center. We will be using this newsletter to get the word out as these activities get underway. Please share the WCEC with your network and invite others to sign up for our newsletter through the Contact Us form on the WCEC website.
