SHPE Home Page

ABOUT US

Mission Statement

The Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers, Northeastern University Chapter (NU SHPE) is a professional organization whose goal is to enable Latinos in the New England area (including MA, ME, NH, VT and RI) to pursue, obtain and develop successful careers with top research and development, high-tech (i.e., hardware, software and IT services), and communications companies, as well as other science- and engineering-based organizations.

Values

We are brought together by heritage, social responsibility and desire to improve the equality of all people through the use of science and technology. We value excellence in education, professional pursuits and leadership. We obtain excellence through integrity, empowerment, achievement, diversity and continuous improvement.

La Familia

The most significan difference between our organization and others is the sense of familia. This culture is what makes us unique and not "just another engineering group." NU SHPE prepares students to graduate with a skill set that is valuable and sought after in the professional world. Familia supports this goal with character development through support of other members.

Chapter Goals

SHPE on a national level and here at Northeastern share common goals - To promote academic excellence, professionalism in the classroom as well as the work place, and to give students the tool and opportunities needed to become successful. Along with these goals, our chapter also wants to be a place to make strong connections with fellow peers that share the same interests; academic and professional excellence. We believe no student should be left without guidance and we want to provide that by offering tutoring, mentoring and lifelong connections.

Our long term goals include more involvement in Community Service and providing local High Schools a SHPE Jr. Chapter to introduce to STEM fields/majors (Science, Technical, Engineering and Math) at an earlier age.

Chapter History

The Northeastern chapter of SHPE was chartered in 1992 by a group of Latino students who sought an engineering-focused support structure. One of the founding members was the organization’s first president, Mr. Sergio Zavala. In 1994, SHPE members realized that there were many similarities in the business and engineering fields, therefore the organization decided to invite the business students to join the organization. With this new combination of students, the name of the chapter was changed to the Northeastern University Hispanic Business and Engineering Society/Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (NUHBES/SHPE). In 1995, NUHBES/SHPE decided to further open its doors to all fields and stress professionalism and leadership. Thus, once again, the name of the organization changed into the Northeastern University Professional Latino Society/Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (PLS/SHPE).

Over the years, the chapter began to fall apart as member participation started to decline. In June of 2002, the last members of PLS/SHPE graduated. The outgoing president then elected an up-and-coming Middler Engineering student, Ms. Vivian Lobaton, as President of the organization. She then recruited a Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. With the memory of PLS/SHPE leaving the campus with the graduating class of 2002, it was the duty of this new executive board to rebuild the chapter, starting from scratch.
During the 2002-2003 school year, the chapter underwent many changes. First off, the official group name was changed to the Northeastern University Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (NU-SHPE). Next, a mission statement and the chapter’s by-laws were conceived. Finally, the chapter’s structure was redefined, which resulted in the formation of 5 different committees.

Since then, NU-SHPE has become an integral part of Northeastern’s network of minority organizations and the student groups within the College of Engineering. The chapter’s membership and participation level continually grow in hopes that its legacy will forever continue. This will make the organization of NU-SHPE become a significant resource for both its members and alumni, alike.