Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Awards SMU Chapter with Highest Honor
The largest association for Hispanic leadership in STEM recognized SHPE SMU for excellence in exemplifying its core values
The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) awarded SMU’s chapter its highest honor at the National Convention this year, recognizing excellence in continuously leading life-changing services and programs in the community and exemplifying the association’s core values.
SHPE SMU, among 276 chapters nationwide, was one of six 2022-2023 Gold Chapter Award winners honored for bridging the gap between Hispanics and STEM.
“I am so grateful to be a part of such a passionate and hard-working group of individuals,” said Sofia Murillo Sanchez, SHPE SMU President during the 2022-2023 school year. “Our journey is about making our voice heard and ensuring our deserving seat at the table. It's about making history for our community and inspiring those who follow in our footsteps.”
SHPE’s mission is to change lives by empowering the Hispanic community to realize its fullest potential and to impact the world through STEM awareness, access, support, and development. Throughout the 2022-2023 school year, SHPE SMU provided its members opportunities for leadership, professional, and academic development. It also fostered a unified community through networking events, developed mentorship programs that helped students achieve their academic and career goals, and organized several volunteering opportunities that benefitted the Dallas community.
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The chapter made SMU-wide history this past semester by achieving the highest average attendance for events and highest annual membership growth (140%) among all SMU Lyle engineering organizations. They executed a multi-channel fundraising strategy to raise more than $10,000 over three months to send 20 students to the SHPE National Convention, which included growing their corporate sponsorships by 200%.
“I was honored to travel with roughly 20 members to receive the SHPE Gold Chapter Award at the Fall 2023 National Convention,” said Linda Parker, SHPE SMU Advisor and Director of Career Development for the Hart Center for Engineering Leadership. “Like any family, the chapter is strong because the membership and officers respect and support each other and have created their own Familia within SMU Lyle. Since we had a number of first-year members watching as Arath accepted the award, I know that desire to live out SHPE's four core values – Familia, Service, Education, and Resilience – was passed on.”
Arath Dominguez, current SHPE SMU President, said that witnessing the growth of SHPE SMU over the years has been truly remarkable.
“SHPE SMU stands as an exemplary chapter committed to bridging the gap for Hispanics in STEM fields, faithfully embodying the core values of SHPE National,” Dominguez said. “At SMU, SHPE enriches the student experience by offering networking opportunities and industry-led workshops, fostering exposure and inspiration. Our chapter is dedicated to serving as a supportive network, helping students discover their community on campus.”
About the Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering
SMU’s Lyle School of Engineering thrives on innovation that transcends traditional boundaries. We strongly believe in the power of externally funded, industry-supported research to drive progress and provide exceptional students with valuable industry insights. Our mission is to lead the way in digital transformation within engineering education, all while ensuring that every student graduates as a confident leader. Founded in 1925, SMU Lyle is one of the oldest engineering schools in the Southwest, offering undergraduate and graduate programs, including master’s and doctoral degrees.
About SMU
SMU is the nationally ranked global research university in the dynamic city of Dallas. SMU’s alumni, faculty and nearly 12,000 students in eight degree-granting schools demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit as they lead change in their professions, community and the world.