One measure of an organization’s staying power: it has been around longer than most of its current members have been alive. That’s the case with the NIU student chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), which celebrated its 25th anniversary recently.
At their gala, held in the Sky Room of the Holmes Student Center on April 5, the organization’s alumni, members and supporters gathered to mark this significant milestone and express their vision for SHPE’s continued impact.
The evening’s featured speaker was Edgar Sida, a 2003 industrial engineering graduate who served as an executive board member of the chapter as an undergraduate. In his remarks, he recalled the powerful effect that SHPE had on him after he arrived on campus.
“SHPE more than anything becomes a true familia for those of us who are trying to make it through those math classes and then engineering courses,” Sida said. “Having others with similar backgrounds and goals and who would do anything to achieve them was the motivation I needed to go after my goals”
Those tight-knit bonds remained as he connected with SHPE’s Eastern Iowa professional chapter after his graduation from NIU—and they persist to this day. He’s far from alone in his lifelong passion for the organization: also at the gala were several past chapter presidents, including Jose Hurtado, Pablo Bernal, Giovanni Gutierrez, Jorge Vidales and Jorge Fernandez.
After 18 years working at Collins Aerospace, Sida since January 2023 has been owner and CEO of Mantec Services Inc., a St. Charles-based manufacturing company that makes safety bumpers for the aerospace ground support equipment industry.
“SHPE is a launching pad to go after your dreams, but I am here to tell you that you can and should want more,” Sida said. “You can achieve great things that can not only help you but those around you and your community and uplift those around you.”
Within the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, professional development programming, such as resume building, honing interview skills and career networking, has helped propel SHPE to become one of the most active and successful student-led organizations. The chapter has over 40 members. Bolstered by financial support from Collins Aerospace in recent years, 20 to 35 members regularly attend regional and national SHPE conferences.
That vibrancy parallels SHPE’s stature across the United States. It is the largest association dedicated to fostering Hispanic leadership in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) field.
Founded in 1974 in Los Angeles by a civil engineer named Rodrigo Garcia, SHPE has grown to 339 active chapters, including 242 collegiate chapters. Membership numbers around 20,000, including 12,481 undergraduate students, 1,412 graduate students, 5,469 professionals and 1,407 junior members, according to SHPE chief of staff Ashleigh Tierney.
In his remarks, Sida shifted from reflecting on how far the chapter has come over the past quarter-century to the impact that the emerging generation will have in the years to come.
“As you celebrate tonight, remember how you can give back,” he concluded. “Don’t let anyone stop you from dreaming and accomplishing your goals.”
NIU chapter members regularly attend regional and national conferences that have resulted in their securing internships and job offers that have been pivotal in launching their careers.
One of many examples is Robert Espinoza, the chapter’s co-president this past year who said in a separate interview, “Attending SHPE conferences has helped me grow in my ability to meet professionals, as well as my persistence. The last table I visited at one conference led to an internship with Northrop Grumman in Utah.”
In another interview, Josejulian Vigil-Perea, who served as the chapter’s professional development director this past year, said SHPE national conferences “opened the doors for opportunities I would have never had the chance to have like networking with the biggest companies in the world and other chapters from all around the nation.”
CEET Dean Dave Grewell, Associate Dean Reinaldo Moraga and mechanical engineering instructor John Shelton, who has served as the chapter’s advisor for the past nine years, were also on hand at the gala.
Addressing the audience, Shelton expressed pride in the group’s success and praised its commitment to developing a culture of familia, the Spanish word for “family.” Speaking on behalf of prior advisors Federico Sciammarella and Don Bramlett, he encouraged undergraduate and alumni members alike to nurture that “family for life” spirit.
SHPE members received a variety of awards for their efforts this past year, and the new chapter executive board was announced. The new president is Jose Sanchez, who succeeds Espinoza and Felipe Coronado.
Below is the list of award recipients from the 25th Anniversary celebration:
- 25th Anniversary Recognition Award – NIU SHPE Chapter
- 1st Padrino Award – The Durbin Family
- Rising Star Award – Jose Sanchez
- SHPEtina Guerrera Award – Ashley Caracheo & Sophia Durbin
- Rodrigo Garcia Service and Leadership Award – Robert Espinoza
Below is the list of newly elected board members and their positions:
- President – Jose Sanchez
- Vice President – Alexander Boyden
- Treasurer – Juan Barrera
- Secretary – Martin Lozano
- Director of Alumni Relations – Robert Espinoza
- Director of SHPEtinas – Juliana Martinez
- Director of SHPE Jr. – Leonardo Diaz
- Director of Outreach – Ricky Real
- Director of Professional Development – Angel Lopez
- Webmaster – Eric Avilla
Follow the NIU SHPE chapter on Instagram.
