A Q&A with the UC Berkeley SWE President
Happy President’s Day! In honor of the holiday, we had a Q&A with our UC Berkeley SWE section president, Elizabeth Chu! Read on to learn more about her goals, aspirations, and journey into SWE.
Why did you want to study engineering?
Looking at college majors, I saw engineering as the way I could use the stuff I had learned in my math and sciences classes to solve real world problems. I was especially interested in Energy Engineering because I’m passionate about the environment and want to work on renewable energy and climate change mitigation.
What motivated you to join SWE?
I attended the SWE Overnight Host Program as an admitted senior and because I arrived late to the banquet, I ended up sitting with the officers. I remember thinking that they were so cool and interesting and I especially remember that the president at the time had gotten an internship at the SWE Conference, which turned into a full time offer. As a high schooler, getting a job seemed impossibly scary, so this opportunity made me really excited (spoiler alert: I too got an internship at the SWE Conference that then lead to my full time offer). When I arrived on campus in the fall, I realized that these women all got job offers because they were fantastic leaders. In my classes, there were only lost freshmen, and mostly male freshmen at that. It was inspiring to find young women who I could look up to and consistently go to for advice and guidance.
Share your previous experiences as a member or officer in SWE before becoming an executive officer.
After the first SWE General Meeting my freshman year, I joined the Evening with Industry committee as the Graphic Designer. At our first committee meeting, we all said why we were interested wanted to join EWI. Each and every person said something along the lines of “I really like event planning!” It was fun working on something that wasn’t school with a group of people who also liked organizing big, professional events. I liked it so much that the next year, I applied to be an EWI co-chair. Running my own committee and being directly in charge of the planning taught me so much about how to be a good leader. I also loved joining the SWE Officer community and learning how an organization like SWE, with so many moving parts, operates. The next step in my SWE journey was running to be VP of Corporate Relations. I ran because I wanted to get more involved and see what impact I could make on this organization. As an exec, I was responsible for a group officers in my exec group, which meant leading the leaders. Even though I didn’t run my own committee, it was extremely rewarding to see the corporate officers run theirs and succeed with their programs. Now I’m the President and I’m grateful for the opportunity to give back to the organization that has helped form who I am.
Describe your role as President, and how it impacts SWE.
I’m the President of UC Berkeley SWE, which means I do a little bit of everything. I lead meeting with our 30 officers and try to keep tabs on everyone (easier said than done!). I’m really lucky to have a great group of execs under me who manage the day to day business for their exec group. This frees me up to focus on any pressing issues that come up and think more big picture about our section’s goals. In particular, I’ve really pushed the officers to come up with new and creative ways to engage our members and make UC Berkeley SWE an even more inclusive, dynamic and effective organization. Just this year, we’ve piloted the SWEster mentorship program, a High School Outreach program and a series exploring Career Options in Engineering. My goal as President is to harness the enthusiasm in our community to develop ourselves personally and professionally, give back, and support each other. And have lots of fun while we’re at it!
What do you like to do in your free time?
I’m a really big sweets person, so I love trying new ice cream and boba places. I’m originally from San Francisco, so I’m a big fan of Smitten, Boba Guys and b. Patisserie. I like baking for my friends and family and am slowly increasing my “real food” repertoire as well. I’m also trying to become a more avid reader (not just of textbooks!). I’ve been going through all the Jhumpa Lahiri books and next on my shelf is When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi.
Share your favorite SWE memory!
I’ve really enjoyed both SWE Annual Conferences I’ve attended, last year in Nashville, TN and this year in Philadelphia, PA. It’s always really inspiring to see so many women engineers packed into one place! I’m especially fond of SWE Conference because that’s where I got my internship last summer! The career fair is huge, but that also means there are a lot of interesting people, companies and grad schools to talk to. I interviewed with GE at the Conference last year which lead to a really great summer internship that I’m not sure I would have gotten if I hadn’t had the opportunity to meet the engineers at WE15. At this past conference, I got to meet up some of my fellow GE interns (also SWE officers at their universities!) and connect with my manager for my full time position starting this summer.
I love UC Berkeley SWE, but it’s also cool to realize that there’s a really big, vibrant community of SWE members across the country and across the planet.
Stay tuned for another Q&A with the rest of the UC Berkeley SWE executive officer team!
