OUR STORY

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) was started in 2017 at Wheaton High School, in Wheaton Maryland with the mission to “Stimulate women to achieve full potential in careers as engineers and leaders, expand the image of the engineering profession as a positive force in improving the quality of life, and demonstrate the value of diversity.”

 

Maya Wolf, a student enrolled in the Engineering Magnet Program at Wheaton High School, felt that because the school’s engineering program, as well as extracurriculars like the robotics club, were male dominated, she and her friends were looking for a more casual organization specifically for girls. She, and classmate Meili Bowden, then seniors, started planning the club at the end of their sophomore year. The girls approached Wheaton High School engineering teacher Thomas Siegrist and asked him to sponsor the club.

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“The girls came to me about starting a Society of Women Engineers club,” Siegrist said. “They came to me because we don’t have a female engineering teacher. I was honored. There wasn’t a place for girls in our Engineering Magnet to congregate and I thought this would be a good place for that.”

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The girls established goals and recruited members. They set out to provide a network for girls in engineering at Wheaton High, promote engineering for girls in middle and elementary schools, and compete as a girl-only team in engineering challenges.

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Excerpts from Greater Olney News, by Terri Hogan, Senior Staff Writer

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We meet every Tuesday during lunch, along with build days on Thursdays after school, at Wheaton High School

We are always looking for new members. No prior experience required!