SHPE Out Loud: Leading Hispanics in STEM

In this episode of SHPE Out Loud, host Demian Servín Hernández speaks with Amina Torres and Stephanie Ayala Serna, two impressive leaders of their SHPE chapters, about the impact of Chat GPT and its presence on college campuses. They also discuss the future of machine learning and its importance in STEM education. The episode begins with a tribute to Dr. Helen Rodríguez Trias, a pioneer of health equity for women and people of color. Dr. Rodríguez Trias' life and legacy are celebrated as an example of Hispanic trailblazers in STEM. Tune in to hear inspiring stories and valuable advice from these influential leaders.

You will learn about the life and legacy of Dr. Helen Rodríguez Trias, the experiences and advice of Amina Torres and Stephanie Ayala Serna, the use of bioengineered bacteria in wastewater treatment plants, the benefits of joining and becoming active in SHPE, the collaboration and support between different student organizations, the future of machine learning and its potential applications, the training process and engineering behind AI models like ChatGPT, the benefits of joining SHPE, and  the opportunities you will have to connect with others in STEM through the SHPE National Convention.

Welcome to SHPE Out Loud, the podcast that amplifies the voices of Hispanic leaders in STEM. In today's episode, we have the privilege of hearing from John Estrada, a computer engineering graduate from Purdue University, who immigrated from Ecuador to pursue his dreams. John shares how participating in SHPE design challenges enriched his engineering skills and shaped his career. Now, he utilizes technology to support surgeons through research and innovation. Stay tuned to learn about the latest trends in augmented and virtual reality, and the impactful use cases that benefit the most from this technology.

But before we dive into John's fascinating journey, we take a moment to celebrate Mario Molina's impressive role in healing the ozone layer in our Trailblazers in STEM segment!

By the way, have you signed up for SHPE National Convention alerts yet? Tahimy Landestoy, a recent University of Houston graduate, credits the convention as her secret to landing her dream job. You won't want to miss her story!

Tune in next week for another episode of our Mini Series, Familia Voices, where we sit down with Lesly Rojas and Maria Silva Gallardo, two amigas studying computer science and electrical engineering at Oregon State University.

Welcome to Familia Voices, the mini-series on the SHPE Out Loud Podcast, where we uplift the voices of your SHPE familia. In this episode, we feature Emily Anne Vargas, a passionate PhD student studying material science and engineering at the University of Southern California. She shares her inspiring journey, from her love for visual art to pursuing a fulfilling career in STEM, all while embracing her Cuban heritage and cultural identity.

Welcome to "SHPE Out Loud," the podcast that amplifies the voices of Hispanic STEM leaders. In this episode, your host Monique Herrera sits down with Samara Hernandez, the founding partner of Chingon Ventures. Samara shares her inspiring journey from being an immigrant living in poverty to becoming a trailblazing Latina venture capitalist, offering valuable insights on entrepreneurship and investing in underrepresented areas of the tech industry. Discover how staying true to her authentic self contributed to her success and learn from her advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. 

But first, Monique talks with Demian Servin Hernandez, SHPE Out Loud’s new CO-Host about his background, his connection to SHPE, and the vision for the future of the "SHPE Out Loud" podcast. 

In addition, get ready for NILA (National Institute for Leadership Advancement) as Sofia Sanchez, student representative for region 5, sheds light on why she keeps returning to NILA year after year and provides a preview of the virtual and in-person options available.

Thank you, Samara, for joining us on this episode of "SHPE Out Loud!" We also want to highlight Samara's role as a board member of Papaya, the tutoring platform used for SHPE's new virtual tutoring program, aimed at supporting Latina women in Computer Science. To learn more about SHPE Tutoring or this program, reach out to karlettym@shpe.org. We extend our gratitude to Samara for her continuous support of our familia of students and young entrepreneurs.

Don't miss the next episode of our mini-series, "Familia Voices," where we celebrate the achievements of Latinx professionals in STEM. 

On this episode of Familia Voices, the mini-series on the SHPE Out Loud Podcast, we are excited to feature Courtney McCoy, Global Talent Acquisition Leader - Early Careers Diversity at Cummins Inc., who recently won a prestigious SHPE STAR Award. Despite not being a member of the Latinx community, Courtney has been involved with SHPE for years and has become an advocate for diversity in STEM. He will share his story of why he chose to be a part of the SHPE familia, his role in supporting companies to prioritize historically marginalized STEM professionals, and how Cummins' commitment to diversity contributed to their STAR Award-winning success.

Join us for another insightful episode as we listen to Courtney speak out loud about his experiences and perspectives. And stay tuned for special shoutouts and closing thoughts.

In this episode of Familia Voices, we hear the story of STAR Award winner Nora Rincon, a mechanical engineer at General Motors, who shares her journey as a first-generation Mexican-American navigating the field of engineering. Growing up in a traditional household with parents who didn't understand her aspirations, Nora found support and guidance through her SHPE chapter in college. This community of like-minded individuals, both peers and mentors, helped her overcome challenges, excel in her studies, and solidify her passion for engineering. 

Nora was recognized with the prestigious Jaime Oaxaca Award, Nora is committed to giving back and empowering others in the STEM field, as she believes in the transformative power of mentorship and support.

Winning the Jaime Oaxaca Award, named after a highly accomplished engineer, has reinforced Nora's dedication to helping aspiring engineers and SHPE members. She recognizes the impact SHPE had on her own success and the importance of providing opportunities for others. Nora has been an active member, serving as a SHPE lead and actively involved in recruitment efforts at General Motors. The award signifies the influence she has had in the community, inspiring her to continue supporting and uplifting others so they can achieve their dreams in engineering and beyond. Despite her discomfort with the spotlight, Nora embraces the responsibility of being recognized and sees it as a platform to advocate for diversity, mentorship, and the empowerment of future generations in STEM.

In this episode of Familia Voices, we hear the story of Adriana Mulero-Russe. Adriana is a Chemical Engineering PhD student at Georgia Tech from Puerto Rico. Her research involves developing a hydrogel biocell delivery vehicle for cell replacement therapy. She has held various leadership positions within SHPE and received the Graduate Student Role Model Award at the 2022 SHPE National Convention. Adriana works with Dr. Andres Garcia in the field of biomaterials and is passionate about STEM and empowering younger generations. Representation and community are essential to her, and she encourages others to embrace their uniqueness in STEM.

In this episode of Familia Voices, we hear from Carlos Enllanche, a Chevron Global Maintenance Manager who shares his inspiring journey from South Central LA to a successful career in mechanical engineering at Chevron. Carlos shares about his experiences at Chevron, the lessons he's learned, and how he's giving back to the community by hiring students who are just like he was 21 years ago. This episode is packed with insights and motivation for anyone interested in pursuing a career in STEM. Join us as we listen to Carlos speak out loud!

In this episode of SHPE Out Loud, the podcast amplifies the voice of Monica Morales, a civil engineer and the recipient of the SHPE STAR Award for Community Service. As the only Latina woman in her civil engineering class, Monica shares her journey of breaking through barriers to become a water resources engineer at Jacobs. She reveals how her passion for art and engineering intersect and how she motivates young women to consider engineering careers. Additionally, we'll hear about Monica's STEM love story with her husband and how they both pursued their dreams of becoming engineers. Tune in to this week's inspiring episode of Familia Voices, where we celebrate the success of Hispanic leaders in STEM. 

Welcome to the first episode of "Familia Voices," a new podcast series featuring interviews with inspiring individuals from your SHPE familia! In this inaugural episode, we interview Joelle Romeu, an aerospace engineer at the Boeing Company and one of the STAR Award winners from this past year.

Joelle shares her journey from a childhood fascination with space to pursuing aerospace engineering in college, and her current work at Boeing. She also discusses her involvement with SHPE and her passion for STEM outreach to underrepresented communities. Recorded at the SHPE National Convention in November 2021, this episode offers valuable insights into the diverse paths that can lead to a career in STEM, as well as the importance of diversity and inclusion in the field.

Join us as we delve into Joelle's story and explore the diverse paths that lead people to careers in STEM.

Professionally, Dora Maria is a proven leader and project manager in computer science and business analytics. She has spent the last 20 years providing software development, support, and training in both the finance and tech industries - working for the biggest names out there; NASA, Goldman Sachs, and Amazon, to name a few.

But her extensive work experience is only part of her impressive resume. Since her freshman year in college, she has been a member of SHPE, and has served in various leadership roles ever since. She served 6-years as Secretary on the National Board, and then was elected Vice President of Region 4 during a time of economic turmoil and declining membership. She was pivotal in turning it around, and making Region 4 the powerhouse it is known for being today. She is the definition of “pulling while you climb” - often paying for members out of her own pocket to attend SHPE National Convention and participating in career days at High Schools all over New York.

And just a couple of weeks ago, Dora Maria became a published author with her children’s book, “You are Beautiful.” It is a wonderful introduction of affirmation and empowerment for children and their parents, alike.

SHPE Out Loud amplifies the voices of Hispanic leaders in STEM. In this episode Monique Herrera, SHPE’s Chief External Relations Officer, fills in for Chris as the podcast host and is joined. She is joined by our guest this week, Triple EMMY® winning journalist, bestselling author and speaker, Gaby Natale.

In 2021, Gaby published her first book, “The Virtuous Circle” which lays out a system for transforming dreamers into leaders. The book became the first title written by a Latina author published by the leadership division of HarperCollins.

But Gaby’s success didn’t just start two years ago. Before becoming a best-selling author, Gaby already had an incredible career in visual media. Gaby has been featured in Forbes, CNN, Buzzfeed, NBC News, Univision and Latino Leaders magazine. In 2018, People magazine named her one of the “25 Most Powerful Latinas,” highlighting the inspirational story of how she went from a local TV show that started out of a carpet warehouse to becoming the only Latina in US history to win triple back-to-back Daytime EMMYs. In the digital world, she has a thriving fan base with over 52 million views on YouTube and 250K+ followers on social media.

She is also the founder of AGANARmedia, a marketing company with a focus on Hispanic audiences that serves Fortune 500 companies such as Hilton Worldwide, Sprint, AT&T, eBay and Amazon. We certainly have a lot to learn from her today!

To follow and support Gaby use any of these links:

SHPE Out Loud amplifies the voices of Hispanic leaders in STEM. In this episode, podcast host and SHPE CEO, Chris Wilkie, interviews Jackie Garcia. Jackie is a bilingual Spanish Speaking Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 7 years of experience working with children, teens, adults, and families. She grew up in Tijuana until 11 years old, when she moved to the Inland Empire in California. She received a B.A. in Sociology from California State of San Bernardino, and then went on to California State University of Fullerton where she earned her Master's Degree in Social Work. She has worked as a field therapist in LA, managed over 30 clients in group practice, and now, owns and operates a private practice.

SHPE Out Loud amplifies the voices of Hispanic leaders in STEM. In this episode Monique Herrera, SHPE’s Chief External Relations Officer, fills in for Chris as the podcast host. She brings you an interview from our recent National Convention in Charlotte, NC, the home of NASCAR. Where nearly 9,000 SHPE members, sponsors, speakers and supporters gathered under the theme of “Racing towards the Future”.

Joining Monique on this episode is Alba Colón, the Director of Competition Systems at Hendrick Motorsports. Alba has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, and works to enhance capabilities that directly support at-track competition with responsibility on data analytics and communication technologies. Her conversation with Monique touches on so many important topics including what it’s like to work in a white, male dominated sport.

Learn more about SHPE on our website www.SHPE.org or our social media platforms listed below. To become a member today, click here and use code POD22 for 10% off.

SHPE Out Loud amplifies the voices of Hispanic leaders in STEM. In this episode, podcast host and SHPE CEO, Chris Wilkie, interviews Claudie Dulac the Senior Vice President, Head of Diversity & Inclusion for Merrill & Investment Solutions Group. Her main responsibility is to increase representation within the Merril workforce. But her focus is to increase diversity among senior leadership, which, as our listeners know, is something SHPE has long advocated for - Hispanic representation at the highest levels in industry.

SHPE Out Loud amplifies the voices of Hispanic leaders in STEM. In this episode, podcast host and SHPE CEO, Chris Wilkie, interviews Dr. Chris Hernandez. Dr. Hernandez is a tenured Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University, where he has served for the past 13 years. His technical expertise is in orthopedics, preclinical models, mechanical engineering and materials science. In layman's terms, I am told this means he’s an expert in how and why bones break. He currently leads a research laboratory that is supported by the National Institute for Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Defense. Dr. Hernandez has earned distinctions that make it obvious that he is the best, including being named as:

• An American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering Fellow,
• An American Society of Mechanical Engineers Fellow, and;
• winning the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research Fuller Albright Award

He is an inspiring advocate for equity & inclusion in engineering and science, and SHPE is beyond lucky to have him as an active member of our Familia.

SHPE Out Loud amplifies the voices of Hispanic leaders in STEM. In this episode, podcast host and SHPE CEO, Chris Wilkie, interviews our first guest outside of SHPE staff. Our guest is Rob Anchondo, the Vice President and CTO of Services and Connectivity for Honeywell.  Rob received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at Arizona State University. He joined Honeywell in 1991, and has stayed there for the past 30 yrs! He’s spent 25 years in the Space Industry serving in Director level positions. He is currently responsible for a 700 person global team spanning 4 countries and 7 locations.

Listen to find out:

• Why you can’t grow without being uncomfortable,
• How mentorship played, and continues to play, a big role in Rob’s success,
• And, what companies like Honeywell are looking for in future employees.

SHPE Out Loud amplifies the voices of Hispanic leaders in STEM. In this episode, podcast host and SHPE CEO, Chris Wilkie, interviews Dr. Jose Silva, SHPE’s Chief External Officer. Listen to find out:

• What led to Jose becoming a community advocate at the age of 13,
• Why being a self-described “nerd” lead him to SHPE,
• And, how intersectionality as an Afro-Latino shapes his story and leadership approach.

SHPE Out Loud amplifies the voices of Hispanic leaders in STEM. In this episode, podcast host and SHPE CEO, Chris Wilkie, interviews Kimberly Douglas, SHPE’s Chief Research & Innovation Officer. Listen to find out:

• How she considers “industrial” the bridge between business and engineering,
• Why she considers difference of opinions critical to leadership,
• And, why her mom’s chicken and noodles is the best thing she’s ever tasted.

SHPE Out Loud amplifies the voices of Hispanic leaders in STEM. In this episode, podcast host and SHPE CEO, Chris Wilkie, interviews Monique Herrera, SHPE’s Chief External Relations Officer. Listen to find out:

• About her, already, long and storied career at SHPE,
• How she finds the confidence to speak to CEOs of Fortune 500 companies,
• And why iridescence should be considered the best color ever.

SHPE Out Loud amplifies the voices of Hispanic leaders in STEM. In this episode, the tables are turned! Podcast host and SHPE CEO, Chris Wilkie, is interviewed by Executive Producer, Rosa Angel.  Listen to find out:

• How SHPE is thriving and what that means for our members,
• What Chris considers to be the biggest priority for SHPE in the next year,
• And why Chris thinks food and leadership go hand-in-hand.

SHPE Out Loud is a podcast that amplifies the voices of Hispanic leaders in STEM.

There is a lot of noise out there, and it is dominated by the same kind of people that dominate most things. But innovation, creativity, and disruption depends on new perspectives and diversity of thought. The world needs to listen to those who have been silenced. All of our futures depend on it.

And so, we’ve created a space where Hispaincs in STEM can speak up and get down to the nitty-gritty of success. We believe aspiring professionals must hear from role-models that they relate to in order to learn how their own culture can be leveraged to develop solutions and advanced careers.

Join us once a month as we interview Hispanic thought-leaders in STEM and SHPE members just like you! Our focus is on having authentic conversations and sharing stories that inspire. We hope you feel like you belong both here and at the highest levels of industry - because you do! Welcome to the Familia.

SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers) is the nation’s largest association dedicated to fostering Hispanic leadership in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Our members are driving innovation, the global economy, and a prosperous Hispanic community.