Offering a support network for students entering higher education and ensuring continuity in their studies is the objective of the initiative “Engaging Women Into STEM: Building the future of Latin America” sponsored by the European Union, through of the Erasmus Plus Program and implemented by the Federico Santa María Technical University, through its mentoring program.
Since 2021, women’s mentoring in STEM areas began to be implemented, in four pilot careers: Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Bachelor’s Degree in Physics and Bachelor’s Degree in Astrophysics.
On this occasion, a camaraderie meeting was held for the students of the Department of Electrical Engineering, in order to welcome them and share a pleasant recreational day. The activity also distinguished the mentors who participated in the pilot program of the first version, who received diplomas for their collaboration in this initiative.
The activity was organized by Margarita Norambuena, a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, who highlighted the impact that this program has on the academic training of the students. “It is important that the University supports this type of initiative because it allows the young women in these careers, which are a low percentage, to get to know each other, to know that they are not alone and to have a support network,” she highlighted.
The researcher also added that “having female colleagues who are from higher grades and knowing that they have already gone through the same thing makes them feel that they can also achieve it. Therefore, the objective is to support them during the first year, which is the most uncertain, so that they can continue and finish the degree successfully”.
The person who referred to this positive experience was Abish Lavoz, a second-year student of Electrical Engineering. “When I entered the race, I knew that we would be very few women. In my generation we were only four. In many parallels I was the only one, so my mentor helped me. It is necessary to share with the other students, because one realizes that one is not alone in this world of engineering”, she pointed out.
Throughout the academic year, the team of mentors accompanies first-year students on academic and personal issues, such as study habits, organization, and various subjects they want to work on. It should be noted that the Electrical Engineering career has a percentage of women of 4%, while in Electrical Civil Engineering the figure is 8%.