12/2/2024 Lilli Bresnahan
Written by Lilli Bresnahan
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) received a 2024 Gold Chapter of the Year award from the SHPE at its national convention on Oct. 31 in Anaheim, California. SHPE Illinois was one of several chapters awarded during the convention.
SHPE at Illinois empowers Hispanic STEM students, growing a “familia” that upholds four pillars: Academic, Professional, Chapter, and Leadership Development. They foster a community and support system, contributing to service and outreach for K-12 students as well as participating in technical hands-on projects. According to the National SHPE website, the annual chapter awards are “the highest honor that can be bestowed to a chapter, chapter awards are given to a chapter in recognition of the role it plays as SHPE’s North Star.”
As a requirement, awardees must have shown a high degree of excellence in the Society’s core values of familia, service, education, and resilience. The receiving chapter must “have continuously led and executed life-changing services and programs for the people in their community and serve as a model for the rest of the SHPE Familia,” the website said.
This is the fifth year in a row that Illinois has won Gold Chapter of the Year. SHPE Illinois has been awarded 11 times in its 39-year history.
“Receiving this award is an incredible honor that validates the hard work and commitment of every SHPE member at the University of Illinois and the greater Hispanic community on campus,” said Yair Guerrero, Illinois SHPE president. “It emphasizes our chapter’s dedication to uplifting and empowering Hispanic engineers, providing opportunities for professional growth, and creating an inclusive community.”
For Guerrero, he is “grateful to be a part of a great organization that has [a] large impact at UIUC and beyond helping set a standard for other chapters across the nation who help increase representation in STEM careers.”
Guerrero believes that Illinois stands out from other universities because of their strong community of present SHPE members and dedicated alumni network.
“This helps us give our members valuable connections and community throughout their involvement with SHPE,” Guerrero said.
Ninety-two Illinois students, ranging from freshmen to PhD students, attended the convention, as well as 33 alumni from the Class of 2003 up to 2024.