A brief interview with Anthony Carmona – current Vice President of SHPE at BE – on his club experiences, mission, recent accomplishments, and hope for the future of the club.
What are your personal best experiences in SHPE?
I was given the opportunity, fully funded by our chapter, to attend the National Convention, the largest Hispanic gathering across the country. This has been my greatest experience as Vice President, mentoring my fellow members in how to prepare for interviews and learning from them equally! All of my preparations paid off for me as I secured offers from the convention and will relocate to Houston, Texas next summer as a Software Engineer Intern for HP Inc. I’m thrilled to bring this experience back to our chapter and continue empowering our members to achieve their dreams.
What is your club’s mission?
Our goal is to professionally empower the Hispanic community in the math, science and engineering majors to go on and pursue rewarding careers. We achieve this by hosting professional development workshops on resume building, mock interviews and featuring speakers in the engineering industry who share how to stand out in the competitive STEM field. This fall quarter, we hosted a resume skill building workshop with a recruiter from CoStar Group, helping members craft resumes and share internship and full time positions to apply for!
How did you get in involved as a member and leader of SHPE?
I first joined SHPE in the Fall 2022 as a first year. This was the year I was finding my place as a first generation Latino pursuing Computer Science. After attending all of the meetings, I decided to step up and became the Treasurer for the following year. It was wonderful hosting fundraisers to raise funds that we are putting to use in acquiring SHPE merchandise. This year, I have moved up as Vice President and become more involved in SHPE to host general body meetings and events that entail professional development with company collaborations held this quarter.
How has SHPE helped you in your college experience and in your academic journey overall?
When I went to the first meeting, I was so afraid to speak to anyone and kept to myself. But one of the Vice President’s approached me and said “Don’t be so nervous!” We talked to each other and I settled in, started introducing myself to others and becoming friends with them to this day. One of the other officers took time out of their schedule to help me with one of the CSE 20 assignments I was lost on. After spending 30 minutes discussing what the assignment asked, that’s when I understood where to go from there. SHPE has given me a supportive familia that’s shaped my academic and personal growth, and now I’m committed to making an even bigger impact for the next generation of Hispanic engineers.
Are there any upcoming events that you’d like to promote?
Stay tuned ahead of our workshop with CruzHacks! We’re hosting a live technical mock interview with an incoming full time Software Engineer Intern from Capital One. They will walk through and solve the question, showcasing how the thought process and problem solving to be applied in order to succeed in technical interviews. At the end, members from both parties will have the opportunity to ask questions about our guest, their previous experiences and much more! So don’t miss this opportunity to sharpen your skills!
Anything else about the club that you’d like to share?
I have so much to thank SHPE for and one of them is the resources my chapter introduced that the national organization as a whole provides. When I discovered the ScholarSHPEs that are offered to all national members across the country in my first year, I applied in the spring. I didn’t think I would be selected, however, that summer, while on break at my Boys & Girls Club job, I checked my email and learned I’d won the $10,000 GE Scholarship, sponsored by the company to fund my education. Since then, I have become a two time ScholarSHPE winner! If I can achieve this, so can you. So join us. We are more than a chapter, offering many resources and amazing opportunities to pursue your dreams. Your journey starts with us!