This year, five spectacular graduating students were recognized as Outstanding Women in Engineering at SWE's Evening with Industry. The winners are: Claire Nodine, Kelly Chew, Sophie Russ, Serena Yeh, and Vinithra Seshan.

 

Meet the Winners

Claire Nodine

Biomedical Engineering

Claire is currently the Student Lab Manager for Dr. Kristen Cardinal's core histology lab, a role that Claire took on after her outstanding engagement and performance in her Biomaterials course. Claire is also the senior team member on a cross-disciplinary bioinformatics research project, focusing on the understanding of genetic mechanisms behind tissue regeneration in colonial ascidians, the closest related species to humans capable of whole-body regeneration. Their studies of this organism can support medical advancements. Alongside this, Claire has been a math tutor since high school, where she strives to promote girls' confidence in their ability to do math.

Kelly Chew

Civil Engineering

Kelly has excelled academically while also serving as a leader in the Cal Poly Society of Civil Engineers (SCE) for the past three years. During her time as Executive Vice President, she organized SCE's career fair and helped with obtaining funding for three-quarters of its annual budget. Additionally, she was co-captain of a 10-person Sustainable Solutions team that received first place at the regional conference, qualifying Cal Poly for the first time to have a team compete at the national level. Currently, Kelly serves as SCE's President where she continues to be an outstanding leader, directing a board of 16 officers.

Sophie Russ

Computer Science

Sophie is described by her faculty members as "quickly [standing] out as a leader in the very first class she had with [them], with her high level of engagement, intellect, and curiosity." Sophie also excels academically with a high course load, finishing her undergraduate degree program in 3 years, and will be graduating with both her bachelor's and master's degrees in just 4 years all while working 10+ hours a week. Additionally, Sophie has been an active leader in numerous on-campus organizations, including serving as last year's Evening With Industry Chair for the Society of Women Engineers.

Serena Yeh

Environmental Engineering

Serena stands out as a leader among her peers, with an outstanding GPA and a long track record of accomplishments. Her leadership roles as Public Relations and Media Coordinator for Engineers Without Borders (EWB) and Events Coordinator for the Cal Poly WaterWorks club are testaments to her commitment to fostering meaningful connections and creating impactful solutions. Through her work with EWB's Team Kenya, she was able to contribute to designing a borehole system and water tank for a community in rural Kenya and even traveled to Kenya for an assessment trip to interview community members and conduct on-site testing.

Vinithra Seshan

Industrial Engineering

Vinithra is described by her faculty members as "an academically gifted student, a natural leader, and a compassionate individual with a remarkable work ethic." In addition to her academic excellence, Vinithra brings a wealth of professional experience, having spent each summer of her academic career in progressively challenging roles with internships at Viasat and General Atomics. Vinithra also serves as a dedicated and generous leader in SWE, where she has held several leadership roles and currently serves as Vice President of Membership.

Evening With Industry

Evening with Industry, a SWE event, starts with a networking session where you can connect with several company representatives and industry members. After networking, you have a dinner with the company of your choice for a more in-depth conversation, a delicious dinner, an inspiring keynote speaker, and awards and scholarship presentation.