The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) hosted its most recent annual convention in Philadelphia, bringing thousands of its members to the Philadelphia Convention Center for a weekend packed with keynote speakers, workshops, networking opportunities, and more. But SHPE’s impact in Philadelphia has long preceded the convention’s arrival. SHPE has been working with students at Esperanza Academy Charter School (EACS) for several years, a partnership that is continuing to evolve and grow.

SHPE is the nation’s largest association dedicated to fostering Hispanic leadership in the STEM field, with more than 19,700 members and 314 active student and professional chapters. With a student population that is 92% Hispanic and an established engineering program, EACS is a perfect match for SHPE’s mission, and they established an SHPE Junior chapter affiliated with the SHPE Greater Philadelphia Professional Chapter three years ago.

Engineering teacher Curtis Roberts expressed the significance of this partnership for the students: “Students like the idea that there is a group that they can be part of that looks like them, that understands their culture and heritage.” Members of SHPE’s Philadelphia chapter have visited the school several times to engage with students and help them prepare for college and future engineering careers, including EACS alumna Stephanie Gago, a civil engineer who has served as the chapter’s President.

Not only has SHPE come to the classroom, but EACS’s high school students also had a special opportunity to attend the 2025 SHPE National Convention, held in Philadelphia. The convention is primarily geared towards college students, with large companies such as Apple, Microsoft, and Boeing offering on-site interviews. EACS students sat in on a workshop session, met college and company representatives, and even spoke to two congresswomen.

Rose Martinez, SHPE’s Family Engagement Program Manager, commented on how transformative this experience was for the students: “Several students said that they thought the Ivy League schools and other prestigious universities didn’t go to the college fairs at their campus because they weren’t interested in low-income kids from Philly. However, now that they had an opportunity to speak directly to university representatives from some of the top engineering schools in the nation, their eyes were opened to how much these institutions value diversity and solidified that they would love a chance to invite them into their community. They also saw so many Hispanics represented at large, recognizable companies at our Career Fair. They told us how cool it was to see so much diversity in the workforce, especially at companies that value STEM degrees and set the bar of excellence in their industries.”

Emelyn Barona, a senior at EACS, described the event as an unforgettable experience: “I had the opportunity to meet with many successful engineers who have been in my shoes, especially the female engineers who, despite being a minority in the field, have continued to fight and achieve their goals. Even though I was already interested in mechanical engineering, my interest and passion for going into the field have grown. I hope to go back as one of them in the future.”

After a referral from Dr. Debora Carrera, the Chief Education Officer for the City of Philadelphia, EACS was also selected as the site for SHPE’s annual Día de Ciencias event during the convention, which brought representatives from Dow Chemical and Ramboll, SHPE members, and a variety of hands-on STEM activities to the EACS campus. One hundred eighth graders joined the fun, seeing how a 3D printer works, navigating robots through a maze, creating algae string, testing out 3D pens, and more. Parents were also included in Día de Ciencias through SHPE’s Equipando Padres program, which presents bilingual, culturally relevant workshops to get parents thinking about college and future careers in engineering while their children are still young. As students’ progress in their education, the workshops shift to focusing on scholarships, financial aid, and helping your child prepare for their transition to college.

Deanna Drako, SHPE’s Pre-College Program Manager, engaged with students at the event and got to see their in-the-moment reactions. “I always love when students get to see a 3D printer in action because you can see their faces light up, and they’re like, oh my goodness, what? This is crazy. And I think it’s that wow moment for them, but it’s also such a good way to get them interested in STEM because they’re seeing something that looks really cool, but also, there’s a job market behind that.”

Drako’s passion for this work stems from her own personal experience. “I have a really big passion for underserved communities and underserved students, exposing them and giving them equal opportunities to some of their peers who may have more opportunities than they do. I came from an area that was underserved, and when I got to college to study engineering, I saw how college was much easier for my peers who lived in the Philadelphia suburbs and New Jersey. They had taken AP classes. I was like, what is that? I struggled a lot. So, I really took that into my career to make it a mission of my own to serve students who are part of underserved communities and show them that this could be a career for them.”

After Día de Ciencias, SHPE donated the 3D printer, 3D pens, and robotics equipment to EACS’s middle school, and this year, they will start a Virtual STEM Lab cohort model program at the school. This will be the very first of its kind for SHPE; the pilot program will engage students in six weeks of progressive learning, using the same equipment they were introduced to during Día de Ciencias. Drako shared, “It’s really important to focus on the middle schoolers because we figured it would be a good branch to get them introduced to some of the STEM concepts so that they could transition into the high school, where they do have an established STEM program.” EACS’s high school engineering students will also serve as mentors to middle school students, building relationships and sharing what they have learned.

The positive impact of these experiences goes both ways. Martinez emphasized how their partnership with EACS is shaping their work: “The experience didn’t just confirm that what we’re doing matters; it pushed us to rethink how we plan, how we support families, and how we show up for students. It’s actually changing how we’re planning moving forward, because we’ve seen firsthand how important it is to include the local community when we plan our National Convention. The partnership with Esperanza’s staff, students, and families has been truly invaluable to our organization!”

And the work is just getting started.