HTHS’ Junior Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Meets with Counterparts at Columbia University

(Secaucus, NJ--November 9, 2020) The junior chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) at High Tech High School started the year off by attending a panel presentation and discussion session hosted by SHPE members at Columbia University, announced Dr. Joseph Giammarella, Principal of High Tech High School.

The all-virtual event, which took place in early October, offered the junior members of the Society an opportunity to hear from a panel of their college-aged peers at the local Ivy League college. Over seventy students viewed the panel discussion, which was followed by individual break-out sessions led by panel members. These small groups allowed panel members to discuss the nuances of their experiences as SHPE members and students at Columbia, which helped to demystify and inspire the HTHS students.

The product of several months of preparation and organization, the event was led on the HTHS side by Matthew Neissen, member of the HTHS SHPE Jr. chapter, along with SHPE advisor Ms. Sabrina Vargas and HTHS Academy Supervisor Gregory Simon; Jordhy Gonzalez, SHPE member at Columbia University, coordinated on the college side.

The popular digital event marks a re-emergence of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers at High Tech High School, which has history going back as far as 2010. In addition to helping to organize the event, Matthew Neissen also petitioned to bring SHPE back to HTHS. You can learn more about the chapter at their Instagram account @hths_shpe.

Formed in 1974 by Los Angeles-based engineers, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers supports Hispanic students and professionals in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields. You can learn more about the organization and their mission at shpe.org.

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