College joins national diversity initiative
Esteban Macias and Lily Hall are part of ENGAGED, a suite of programs the college introduced in 2016 to help University of Arizona students succeed in engineering.
The University of Arizona College of Engineering has joined the National Science Foundation's Engineering PLUS alliance to advance diversity in engineering.
NSF aims to increase engineering degrees awarded in the United States to women and students from minority groups. The goal is 100,000 undergraduate degrees in 2026 from 2021’s total of 54,000 and 30,000 graduate degrees from 21,000.
And group diversity is about more than inspiring and supporting students. A 2015 McKinsey report found that companies in the top quartile for racial diversity in management were 35% more likely to have above average financial returns.
Alum Alejandro Quijada remains involved with the UA chapter of SHPE.
Alejandro Quijada, a solutions engineer for IBM, graduated in 2023 with a BS in mechanical engineering. He works with the company’s sales team to resolve client questions and ensure installations go smoothly.
Quijada served as executive vice president for the student chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. The group helped Quijada develop professional skills and meet other Hispanic engineers.
“I have nothing but love for SHPE. Without them, I don't think I’d be where I am now,” he said.
Quijada will represent IBM at SHPE’s fall 2024 annual national convention, where he secured his first internship.
“It’s a little full-circle moment,” said Quijada. At university meetings, he counsels SHPE students to become involved with clubs, programs and volunteer experiences early in their studies. He also strives to set an example.
“A lot of people in SHPE need encouragement sometimes,” he said. “It’s hard to go into engineering. It’s nice to go, ‘Hey, I grew up where you grew up. It's possible.’”