Student Projects
High School Initiative Program

11 SHPE students posing for the cameraProject Manager

Paulina Jimenez-Gonzalez, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)

Amount Requested

$5,000

Summary

The High School Initiative Program (HSIP), hosted by SHPE Northwestern, aims to spark interest in STEM, higher education, and SHPE among local high school students with special emphasis on those from underrepresented backgrounds. Through a campus visit featuring hands-on experiments, mentorship, and interactive tours, students will envision themselves in a college setting and see STEM as an accessible and exciting path. The program also enriches the undergraduate experience by giving SHPE members leadership, event planning, and mentoring opportunities.

Planned Activities/Investments

During the summer, SHPE will connect with local schools to identify and invite students to be a part of HSIP. The program will consist of a welcome session and distribution of SHPE-branded HSIP 2025 merchandise, along with a campus tour led by SHPE members. Additionally, there will be snacks and a catered lunch to create a welcoming, community-oriented environment. Carefully planned activities will take place to interest the high school students in STEM, such as pipe cleaner towers and bridge-building challenges. The program will conclude with a student reflection session and a SHPE student panel.

Impact

SHPE’s primary target is 70-80 local high school students. In addition, this project will impact undergraduate SHPE members who will gain valuable mentorship and leadership experience. We will evaluate this impact by conducting pre- and post-event surveys that assess STEM interest and perceptions of college, and sending out feedback forms to student participants and SHPE volunteers.

Deliverables

The major deliverables for the project will be one catered STEM outreach event hosted at Northwestern, various hands-on STEM activities, a campus tour, a custom SHPE/HSIP merchandise distribution, a student panel session, and a feedback and participation summary report.

Sustainability

HSIP is an annual event that SHPE sponsors. In future years, SHPE looks forward to gaining Industry sponsorships to support the event.

Budget Overview

  • Food and Catering: $2,000 - Lunch/snacks for students and volunteers
  • HSIP 2025 Merchandise: $1,500 - T-shirts for high school students
  • Activity Supplies: $1,200 - Pipe cleaners, ping pong balls, weights, etc.
  • Event Materials: $300 - Name tags, signage, etc.

Total Budget Amount: $5,000

Faculty Adviser/Department

Ellen Worsdall/Office of Undergraduate Engineering