Undergraduate and graduate engineering students had the opportunity to participate in WE23, the world’s largest conference dedicated to women in engineering and technology held in Los Angeles, CA. Among the attendees were Lizelle Ocfemia EE’25, Azra Rangwala EE’25, Amelia Chan ME’25, Camille Rotemberg BSE’25, Eun-Soe Lee ME’25, Angelica Baburova ME’25, Sarah Heejeong Yang ME’24, Renata Ashapatov ChE’24 MChE’24, Olivia Kim ChE’24 MChE, Kayla Lee ChE’26, Sabrina Zhou CE’26, and Won Choi ME’24. 

WE23 is put on annually by Society of Women Engineers (SWE). The event offers engaging panel discussions led by leading experts, content creators, and innovators, focusing on emerging trends, data insights, and best practices. Tailored sessions cater specifically to early-career professionals and those aspiring to leadership roles, fostering growth, networking opportunities, and career development. This year’s theme was “Live Without Limits.”
Sabrina Zhou CE’26 shared their research and design on “Fabricating a Thermoplastic 3D Printed Wrist Support Device for Injury Immobilization and Healing” during the Undergraduate Rapid-Fire competition. The research was co-authored with Kayla Lee ChE’26. During the competition, SWE coordinators chose ten applicants and abstracts to compete in the event to do a 5-minute research presentation. 

“I'm glad for the experience, I think both the preparations and competing taught me a lot about how to communicate technical ideas effectively and share them with an audience who don't have the same technical background. The career fair was also amazing -- there were maybe 200 companies encompassing a ridiculously wide range of STEM industries. I talked to many of them, especially the biotech ones, and it really expanded my understanding of what roles I can perform in the future.” - Sabrina Zhou CE’26

“The SWE Conference was a wonderful opportunity to meet other women in engineering and hear their stories. At the conference, I was able to meet and learn about different companies and attend sessions that interested me, specifically about climate topics like green hydrogen. I was also able to reconnect with people from different parts of the country that I haven't seen in months, making the conference even more meaningful.” – Renata Ashapatov ChE’24 MChE’24

“The large scale of the career fair was breathtaking! WE23 hosted hundreds of companies for the thousands of women engineers in pursuit of full-time positions and internships. Initially, the fair was extremely intimidating due to its size, making it seem as if I was a small fish in a vast ocean. However, this did not discourage me; instead, it fueled my determination to stand out. The relentless effort invested in networking with recruiters and other students not only increased my professional connections but also my self-confidence as an electrical engineer!” – Lizelle Ocfemia EE’25