Director of GradSWE

Murial Ross

Why are you running for this executive position?

I am running for the position of Director of GradSWE. Since joining the Professional Development Committee in the Winter of 2022, I have thoroughly enjoyed working with my committee members to organize events targeted towards engineering graduate students and fostering an inclusive environment where women/trans/non-binary individuals can thrive. I am running for Director to focus on growing GradSWE programs to reach more individuals and foster partnerships with other engineering organizations. I have noticed that there is a lack of events at UW that are tailored for graduate students compared to those for undergrads. As director, I would work on expanding the number and variety of events across the four GradSWE committees. Additionally, I will continue to promote and form new partnerships between other engineering organizations such as MEGA, BioEngage, and StemPals. These organizations have different connections and resources that GradSWE could benefit from, including industry, academic or outreach contacts, and formulas for organizing events they specialize in. Additionally, since starting my PhD in the Fall of 2021, I have been looking for an opportunity that would allow me to continue developing my professional development skills including leadership, management and mentorship as well as public speaking and communication skills. The opportunity to serve as director would allow me to grow these skills by leading meetings, presenting about GradSWE at orientations, communicating with advisors and more. If elected as the Director of GradSWE, I will focus on expanding the GradSWE community to support and empower women/trans/non-binary graduate students to thrive in graduate school and beyond.

What is your past involvement with SWE at UW?

During my undergraduate studies at Santa Clara University, I was a SWE member and attended events. Unfortunately the SWE chapter was small and not very active. When I came to the University of Washington for graduate school, I was excited to learn that SWE is one of the largest RSOs on campus and wanted to be more involved. I applied to be on the Professional Development Committee and have been a member since the Winter 2022 quarter. Ever since, I have helped organize a recent graduate panel, where young industry professionals talked about their experiences transitioning from graduate school to industry, a networking workshop which provided tips for networking in person and through LinkedIn, as well as ice cream socials and a back-to-school barbeque. During the Fall 2022 and Winter 2023 quarters, I spearheaded the Industry Networking Happy Hours, which provided a casual space for women/trans/non-binary individuals to network with industry professionals. Besides organizing the location and event details, I raised over $900 to fund the happy hours and have built lasting industry connections. Both happy hours were very successful with over 40 attendees that were a great mix of graduate students and industry professionals from a variety of engineering fields. As Director of GradSWE, I would like to continue promoting events where students can grow their professional skills, participate in outreach and social events in an inclusive environment.