RISE Conference 2023
The 2023 RISE conference returned once again this past September. This conference aims to bring together female and female-identifying engineers & scientists. It is an opportunity to openly and safely discuss, share and learn about various professional development topics, as well as talk about career paths and hurdles.
Katherine Haines, the Guelph Engineering Society President, stated that “RISE: A Conference for Women in Engineering was a truly inspirational experience. I had the opportunity to hear from accomplished engineering alumni to learn about how I can succeed as a woman in engineering. I left the conference feeling empowered and uplifted by the strong community of women in engineering around me.”
The 80 attendees enjoyed a broad assortment of speeches, breakout sessions, and panel discussions throughout the day. Keynote speaker Iretomiwa Olukiyesi, P.Eng., FEC., Co-Founder and President of Black Engineers Canada, started off the day with “Breaking Barriers in Engineering: Navigating Challenges to Achieve Empowerment”.
“Many of the attendees shared with me that they were deeply impressed by the Featured Speaker, Iretomiwa Olukiyesi. Her personal engineering journey was truly moving and inspirational”, said College of Engineering and Physical Science’s Manager of Outreach, Jean Hein.
The breakout sessions consisted of varying topics, from “Building Your Brand on LinkedIn” with Nana Obeng and “Confidently Have Your Voice Heard” with Dilek Dag, to “The Art of Negotiation” with Aimee Smith and “How to Respond to Microaggressions” with Bonnie Douglas. Amoy Marshall Green also led a session about navigating the employment search, “Networking, Applications, and Interviews”, whilst Jane Urbanic & Sophie Pease discussed “Securing Your First Promotion”.
A noteworthy highlight of the event was that the volunteers in attendance consisted of the SOE clubs. There was a wide variety of representation, including Engineers Without Borders, Eng Soc, Engiqueers, Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE), Gryphon Racing and the Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race Team.
The day finished off with a panel discussion on “Making Your Degree Work For You”. These young leaders shared advice to the future women in STEM, instilling confidence in them to make the most of their budding engineering careers. “As a recent engineering grad, RISE created a great opportunity to connect with other women in the STEM community. It was a fun day”, said University of Waterloo alumni Lucy Matulis.