Every March, Women’s History Month is celebrated across the nation. While UD’s observances were cut short due to the coronavirus, several RSOs on our campus work year-round to empower young women at our university. We spoke to the Society of Women Engineers and Women in Business about why promoting inclusivity is important on college campuses.

It’s hard to get through four years at the University of Delaware without learning about the year 1743. Our founding year is everywhere you look — it can be seen on our official university seal and on buildings around campus, and it’s even the namesake of our freshman orientation, the 1743 Welcome Days.

While 1743 is integral to our history as an esteemed university, reflecting on what has changed since that year provides an interesting perspective on the history of inclusivity at our school. When UD was founded more than 270 years ago, many of its current students wouldn’t have even been eligible for enrollment. In fact, it wasn’t until 1913 that women were allowed to apply to UD, and even later in 1950 that black men and women became eligible for admission Put into perspective, this means that of UD’s 277 graduating classes since 1732, 170 classes included no women and no people of color.

Ever since our university took its first large step towards diversity in 1913, inclusivity has continued to grow everywhere on campus, from in the classrooms to in student groups. In order to make sure that this inclusivity continues to advance, RSOs like the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and Women in Business have made it their mission to empower young university women in male-dominated career fields.

According to Mary Lemma, president of SWE, clubs like SWE provide a valuable place for women to share their experiences in both the classroom and in the workplace.

“I knew a chemical engineering major from SWE who had an internship, and the people in charge of her program didn’t even know where the women’s bathrooms were,” said Lemma “It turned out they were in a whole separate building. When we run into situations like that, SWE gives us a group to talk to that can support us as we break down boundaries.”

While Lemma, a biomedical engineering major, hasn’t felt out of place or excluded in her classes, she recognizes that many other female students have felt underrepresented in their majors. She believes that SWE is a great place for women to build a network of students with similar goals who might face similar challenges as they move into the workforce.

“Whether we like to admit it or not, prejudice does exist if you’re a young woman going to a site where you work with mostly older men. That’s when SWE’s community can be valuable,” she said.

Navya Jagarlamudi, a chemical engineering major who serves as SWE’s outreach chair, joined SWE during her freshman year because she didn’t know any engineers in her family or friend groups. As a current senior, Jagarlamudi reflects on her time in SWE as both a learning experience and a motivator to make connections in the engineering community. She says that SWE encouraged her to pursue research positions and internships that helped her land a role at her dream company.

Although Jagarlamudi has found success in her field, it hasn’t always been without challenges. According to Jagarlamudi, she and some of her female peers experience difficulty relating to their coworkers in the typically masculine environment that surrounds engineering. According to the Census Bureau, 81.6% of chemical engineers are male and 80.5% of all chemical engineers are white. And while UD has programs aimed at encouraging diversity within engineering, decades of inequality and a lack of representation in the field contribute to the current diversity statistics. “It is hard to find a place for yourself in a field where most people don’t look like you,” said Jagarlamudi.

Jagarlamudi believes that to create a total cultural shift in the STEM field, the conversation about women in science needs to start at an early age. By promoting early exposure to engineering in elementary and middle school, educators show young girls that they too can be successful in engineering. She also believes that large organizations like UD have a responsibility to highlight the achievements of women in all fields, but particularly in those historically dominated by men.

“The more people see that women are intelligent, strong, capable, and powerful leaders, the negative internal biases against women that are products of years of generational and cultural misogyny will begin to shift,” she said.

Along with providing role models for women in engineering, SWE connects students with career networking opportunities all across the country. Each year, SWE attends career fairs with hundreds of recruiters looking to hire a diverse set of graduates. SWE also collaborates with other RSOs to broaden their on-campus network and create areas of potential collaboration. According to Lemma, diverse networking is important not only for the future of women in engineering, but also for the success of engineering companies.

“Having representation from all backgrounds — women, men and all races — is important,” she said. “Different perspectives are crucial when solving the complex problems that STEM wants to solve.”

Just as SWE builds a network for women in STEM, UD’s Women in Business RSO creates a place for women to network and discuss their experiences in the business.

“It’s important for clubs such as Women in Business to exist because building strong networks of women geared for the same cause is impactful,” said Jessica Casino, president of Women in Business. “Students who care about the advancement and equity of women in the workplace have the opportunity to connect with others who seek the same goals.”

Casino, a marketing and operations management major with a minor in international business, joined Women in Business her freshman year at UD and since then surrounded herself with an indispensable group of likeminded women.

“My involvement with Women in Business has greatly impacted my overall happiness at UD,” she said. “I have had the opportunity to work alongside extraordinary students, faculty, and professionals. This club has allowed me to organize amazing events on and off campus that truly helped my professional skills and built up my network.”

As president of Women in Business, Casino has devoted her time to increasing networking events and involvement opportunities offered by the RSO. While Women’s History Month would have been the ideal time for her to promote the RSO and encourage other women to get involved, Casino believes that honoring Women’s History Month is critical whether or not we’re all together.

 “I think it is important for large organizations such as UD to recognize Women’s History Month because they have the capabilities to make a change in our communities,” said Casino “UD influences real change, and their support during this month is crucial.”

As we move into a new decade, now is the time to consider the way our university will be reflected on in the coming years. Just as we reflect on 1743 and the ways our university has changed for the better, future generations will reflect on the way decisions we made in 2020 impacted our future. In order to keep UD moving towards the future, RSOs like SWE and Women in Business exist to empower women to break down barriers and continue the push towards equality.

This blog post is written by our Division of Student Life student intern Julia Lowndes.