GradWIE aims to create an inclusive community to support the success of engineering graduate students. We explore and highlight the engineering experience through a lens focused on gender, but we do not exclude other foci or experiences. GradWIE welcomes people of all gender identities to support the personal and professional wellbeing of graduate students through peer support, the creation of safe spaces, social events, diverse resources, and professional development.
Penn State’s GradWIE featured in the Daily Collegian!
The Chemical and Biomedical Engineering building on Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021, in University Park, Pa. – The Daily Collegian
Despite being titled Graduate Women in Engineering, the organization emphasized that it’s open to everyone and “welcomes people of all gender identities to support graduate [students’] personal and professional well-being through peer support, the creation of safe spaces, social events, [diverse resources and professional] development,” according to its mission statement.
Dennis serves as the current president of the student-run organization and said sharing similar experiences and supporting members’ “professional and personal well-being” is [a main] goal of the organization.
“We want this to be a space for all graduate engineering students, but we often discuss our experience in engineering through the lens of gender,” Dennis said. “So while we might talk about what it’s like to have a child in graduate school or give birth while you’re taking classes, we’ll also have broader discussions that aren’t necessarily focused on the lens of gender.”
The Daily Collegian