On Saturday, February 24, the Northwestern undergraduate student chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (NU SWE) hosted Career Day for Girls. Around 180 students from nearby schools signed up to attend the 53rd annual event, which featured the theme “Reach for the Stars!”

The program was designed for female junior high and high school students, but open to students of any gender identity who are interested in science and mathematics. Career Day for Girls is NU SWE’s largest on-campus outreach event, hosting students from the Chicagoland area for hands-on engineering activities and competitions. The program included education and career information about opportunities in engineering and applied science.

"Career Day for Girls impacts young students' lives by showing them that they do belong in engineering, and that engineering is accessible to everyone," said Gyda Nawarungruang (EE/MS CS '25) and Tara Saxena (ME '25), NU SWE's outreach co-directors. "This year’s theme of 'Reach for the Stars!' also embodies the message that we hope they take away—that engineering expands your horizons, and to continue striving for higher goals regardless of societal norms."

The program was divided into separate paths for the middle school students and the high school students. The high-school cohort visited labs such as the Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Subsurface Opportunities + Innovations Laboratory, and the Northwestern University Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization Experimental Center. Meanwhile, the middle-school group met members of Northwestern’s Baja racing team, the 3D Printing and Rapid Prototyping Lab, and the AutoAquaponics team in Northwestern’s chapter of Engineers for a Sustainable World.

"All of these events were held with the aim of introducing students from all backgrounds to information, resources. and experiences they can’t find in their own schools," Nawarungruang and Saxena said. "We hope that students who attended walked away with a feeling of agency to take what they learned at Career Day and apply it into their future."

Both groups took part in an engineering challenge, and the high schoolers heard a panel discussion with four engineering graduates from Northwestern and other universities. The younger cohort heard stories from several SWE members on why they decided to pursue a degree in engineering.

This year’s keynote was delivered by Sarah Ahmad (IES ’18), the CEO and cofounder of Stable, which helps companies manage their physical mail. During her time at Northwestern, Ahmad served as a co-president of NU SWE.

Career Day for Girls has been held annually since 1970 when only 4 percent of Northwestern Engineering students were women. Today, approximately one third of engineering undergraduate students identify as women.

"It is common that junior- and high-school students who are interested in engineering don’t know where to start, so the intention of Career Day is to serve as a bridge for them to continue exploring," Nawarungruang and Saxena said. "Through interacting with students with similar interests (whether it be fellow attendees or Northwestern SWE members), as well as hearing from diverse professionals in the field, we hope to foster a feeling of community in traditionally male-dominated spaces."

With more than 300 members, NU SWE has a strong and growing presence on campus. Centered on three fundamental pillars – outreach, professional development, and social development – the group’s mission is to build a supportive community of female engineers at Northwestern and beyond.

The Society of Women Engineers is a nationally recognized professional, educational, and service organization dedicated to supporting women in science and engineering. They aim not only to empower their members to fulfill their full potential as engineers and leaders, but also to inspire the next generation of engineers through STEM outreach programs.