Member of the Month, February: Obe Aye-Addo

Obe hard at work on the far right at Girl Scout Engineering Day Spring 2013

I have been involved with SWE a lot so far this semester and I wish I started earlier! As a transfer student, I was still finding my way around a bigger school, my classes, meeting new people, and even though it was my third year in college, it was my first year away from home so adjusting did not come easy at first. I usually have the problem of wanting to do everything at once, so after trying out different clubs and events my first semester, I narrowed down the extracurricular activities I wanted to do the rest of my time at RPI (finally!) and I’m happy to say SWE was one of them! I think the thing that really drew me to SWE, besides what the organization itself stands for and how candid, humble, and devoted the members and officers are, was how really involved the RPI chapter is; and I mean, REALLY! Besides hosting companies for networking sessions and empowering sessions like Night of Networking and Breaking Barriers Women Unite (the list goes on!), they also reach out through SWE Outreach to younger children especially young women. This outreach section of RPI’s chapter does their part in educating kids about engineering while making presentations interactive and fun in events like Exploring Engineering Day and Girl Scouts Engineering Day. I have to say that this is my favorite part of SWE so far; I get to educate young people about the endless possibilities of applying everyday life through engineering while having fun doing things like making slime and breaking things with liquid Nitrogen; odd combination, I know, but they make it work and that’s why I love being a part of it!