Dallas SWE is excited to welcome as a new Gold level sponsor: Walter P. Moore! We look forward to working with Walter P. Moore as a global leader because they embrace all the wonder that the people of the world have to offer. Walter P. Moore’s support is a testament to their culture rich in diverse perspectives, experiences, backgrounds and beliefs. Thank you for your generous support of Dallas SWE!
On February 20th, 2025, the Dallas Society of Women Engineers (SWE) hosted an insightful professional development event at la Madeleine in Dallas, TX. The event, part of the celebration for National Engineers Week, focused on the SHINE method—a powerful tool for maintaining creativity and combating burnout in demanding professions like engineering.
The evening featured Sammy Zellner, a Process Engineer at Texas Instruments, who shared her personal journey and strategies for managing the intense demands of her role. With a background in Materials Science and firsthand experience in the 24/7 nature of manufacturing, Sammy provided valuable insights into balancing a full-time job, active SWE involvement, and personal commitments while still making time for self-care and creativity.
Participants learned about the SHINE method, which stands for Selfcare, Hobbies, Inspire & Imagine, Nest, and Everyday. This approach encourages individuals to find joy in the little things, prioritize self-care, and maintain a creative mindset despite the pressures of their careers. Sammy emphasized the importance of creating routines that incorporate these elements to prevent burnout and sustain professional efficacy.
The event was well-attended, with engineers and professionals from various fields engaging in discussions about the challenges of maintaining work-life balance. Attendees left with practical strategies to implement in their daily lives, inspired to tackle burnout and foster innovation in their careers.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for this enriching session. We look forward to seeing you at our future events as we continue to support and empower engineers in their professional journeys!
On March 1, 2025, Texas Girls in STEM Day, Dallas SWE proudly hosted its annual Design Your World STEM Conference, an event dedicated to engaging, educating, and empowering young students in STEM. This year, we were thrilled to partner with Collin College, providing students and parents with an immersive hands-on engineering experience, a guided tour of Collin College’s state-of-the-art facilities, and a college preparation panel to help families navigate educational and career pathways.
As a special treat, during lunch, three 9th-grade students—Samanvi, Sindhura, and Sumadhura—from Panther Creek High School presented their innovative project on a digital mentorship platform, showcasing the power of young minds in STEM and their ability to drive meaningful change. The digital platform MKonnect, which can seamlessly connect mentors with mentees worldwide, can be deployed to organizations like Global Jump Start, a non-profit organization.
Since its inception, Design Your World has been a flagship STEM outreach event in North Texas, introducing middle and high school students to the exciting possibilities within science, technology, engineering, and math. This year’s conference was a huge success, thanks to our dedicated volunteers, incredible partners, and enthusiastic students, all working together to create an unforgettable learning experience.
Dallas SWE extends our deepest gratitude to Collin College for their unwavering support in hosting this year’s conference. Special thanks to Tripat Baweja, Smriti Singh, Dawn Jo-Ellen Richardson, and Ariana Herrman, whose expertise, collaboration, and generosity allowed us to create an engaging and impactful event. Their commitment to STEM education and mentorship played a key role in ensuring that students walked away excited, informed, and inspired about future career opportunities in STEM.
We would also like to send a special thank you to Qorvo, whose team led an interactive electrical engineering activity, where students had the opportunity to build and test their own radio signals—and even play their favorite music! This experience brought engineering concepts to life in a creative and tangible way, showcasing the magic of problem-solving, innovation, and real-world applications of STEM.
We truly appreciate the time, effort, and expertise of Kurt Cimino, Anita Luo, Tamara Bassam, Disha Patel, Marvin Harris, Dzianis Babko, and Spencer Gregory, whose guidance helped students explore electrical engineering in a fun and engaging way.
This year, over 30 middle school students participated in the conference, engaging in three hands-on STEM activities led by industry professionals, university students, and Dallas SWE volunteers. The event was made possible by over 40 dedicated volunteers, all passionate about mentoring and inspiring the next generation of engineers.
Students had the opportunity to explore various STEM fields, including:
✅ Mechanical Engineering – Led by UNT SWE, students worked on a helicopter design challenge, learning about forces, aerodynamics, and engineering design principles.
✅ Electrical Engineering – Guided by Qorvo engineers, students designed and tested their own radio signals, understanding the fundamentals of wave frequencies and communication technology.
✅ Biomedical Engineering – Facilitated by Dallas SWE volunteers, students explored medical device innovation, learning how engineering principles can be applied to designing and building a flotation device.
Throughout the day, students not only participated in these exciting activities but also had the chance to tour the Collin College campus, gaining exposure to STEM education pathways, college resources, and career opportunities in engineering and technology.
In addition to student activities, Collin College hosted a parent panel, equipping families with valuable insights on college preparation, scholarships, and career development in STEM. This session provided parents and guardians with the tools and resources they need to support their children’s educational journeys and career aspirations.
By engaging both students and their families, Design Your World 2025 created a holistic approach to STEM education, ensuring that students feel supported and encouraged as they explore engineering and technology careers.
A huge thank you to our event organizers, mentors, and facilitators who made this event possible. Special recognition goes to: Katia Gomez, Cyonna Holmes, Ana Gonzalez, Lyndsey Bouve, Chenai Sukume and Robyn Broniewski.
Your leadership, dedication, and passion for STEM education and outreach have made a lasting impact on these students, giving them the confidence and inspiration to pursue careers in science and engineering. We couldn’t have done it without you!
A special thank you to Charles Claudet for his creativity and generosity in designing our 2025 event T-shirt.
We would also like to thank our incredible sponsors, whose generosity and commitment to STEM outreach continue to drive the success of Design Your World.
🎉 Qorvo, Collins Aerospace, PepsiCo, HEB, Analog Devices, Raytheon, Toyota, Walter P. Moore, and Dave & Lynn Mortenson 🎉
Your support ensures that students from diverse backgrounds have access to hands-on STEM learning opportunities, sparking curiosity and shaping the future of innovation.
Design Your World 2025 was an incredible success, but our mission to empower the next generation of engineers doesn’t stop here! If you or your organization would like to:
✅ Sponsor future Design Your World events
✅ Volunteer as a mentor, activity leader, or speaker
✅ Partner with Dallas SWE on STEM outreach initiatives
We’d love to connect with you! Please reach out to us at dallas.swe@gmail.com to get involved.
Together, we can continue inspiring young minds, breaking barriers, and building a future where more students—especially young women—see themselves as engineers, innovators, and leaders in STEM.
Thank you to everyone who made Design Your World 2025 a success! We look forward to seeing you at future events! 🚀🔬⚙️
Join Dallas SWE for our March Book Club event. We will be reading You Didn’t Hear This From Me: (mostly) True Notes on Gossip by Kelsey McKinney, host of the podcast Normal Gossip.
As always, even if you don’t start / finish the book, you are welcome to join! Kelsey also has a great podcast that will be great supplemental listening to this book.
We will be meeting on March 22 at 10 AM at Legacy Hall at Legacy West, at the 2nd floor tables by the beer vats.
Congratulations to Sandra Park, Dallas SWE’s March Member of the Month!
Sandra Park is a passionate advocate for women in STEM, a seasoned engineer, and a dedicated financial coach. She grew up in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area and attended the University of Texas at Arlington, where she earned a degree in Electrical Engineering.
With a career spanning over two decades in the aerospace and defense industry, Sandra has worked at Lockheed Martin, L3Harris, Raytheon Technologies, KBR, and now SAIC. Currently, she serves as a Systems Engineering Chief at SAIC, leading a software program for the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), which supports our nation’s facility clearances.
Sandra has worked on a variety of programs in different roles spanning systems, integration, test, and software engineering. Notably, she contributed to the F-35 fighter jet program, the Advanced Airborne System for the P-8 aircraft, and the Fleet Ballistic Missile program. Through her work on these critical defense systems, she has played a key role in advancing capabilities that support national security.
Throughout her career, Sandra has taken on technical leadership roles, contributing to major defense programs while also recruiting and mentoring the next generation of engineers. As an active member of her company’s National Women’s Employee Resource Group (ERG), she supports initiatives that empower and elevate women in engineering.
Sandra has spoken at the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) National Conference and SWE Dallas, sharing insights on empowering women to take charge of their finances. She believes that financial confidence is key to career mobility and security, and she regularly shares insights on money management, career growth, and self-advocacy. She regularly shares these insights on LinkedIn and YouTube to inspire and empower women to take control of their careers and finances.
Beyond speaking, Sandra is a financial coach, equipping women with the tools they need to achieve financial independence and take control of their careers. She is also the host of Engineer Her Path, a podcast dedicated to empowering women in STEM to navigate their careers and finances with confidence. Through the podcast, she engages in meaningful conversations about personal finance, career advancement, and life in STEM.
Sandra is also a proud mother to an 18-year-old son and future engineer, who inspires her daily to continue breaking barriers and paving the way for the next generation in STEM.
The Professional Development Committee is excited to provide more details for our upcoming Professional Development Day on April 12, 2025!
The theme for this year is Mastering Workplace Dynamics – and we have tailored a wonderful line-up of speakers and topics that speak to this.
Registration is open now and included in the registration fee are professional headshots and lunch.
SWE-Dallas Professional Development Day 2025
Mastering Workplace Dynamics
Date: Saturday, April 12, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM – 2:30 PM
Location: Richardson IQ HQ ,1302 E. Collins Blvd, Richardson, TX 75081
Price: SWE Members: $15; Non-SWE Members $35
Agenda
10:00 AM – 10:05 AM – Welcome
10:05 AM – 10:20 AM – Professional Headshots & Networking(2 Truths & Lie)
10:20 AM – 11:20 AM – Listen & Learn – “Talk Isn’t Cheap! What Does Your Language Choice Cost You?”
11:20 AM – 12:00 PM – Lunch
12:20 PM – 1:00 PM – Panel – Stepping Into Influence: Driving Change Without the Title!
1:00 PM – 1:20 PM – Networking (Bingo)
1:20 PM – 1:30 PM – Break/Raffle
1:30 PM – 2:20 PM – Listen & Learn – “If Not Me, Then Who? Owning Middle Management.”
2:20 PM – 2:30 PM – Wrap Up and Thank You!!!
Please register so that we can have a headcount for headshots, lunch, and receive dietary restrictions. If you need to cancel – please email vp.pd@dallaswe.org.
We look forward to seeing everyone there!
