It has been supporting Latinos through its 12,000 members, including 10,000 students and 230 chapters.  A group of engineers who worked in the Los Angeles public works got the idea to launch a society encouraging more Latinos to develop interest in the sciences and engineering.

One key way it encourages Latinos to pursue STEM careers is by awarding scholarships. In the 2017/18 fiscal year, SHPE awarded $330,000 worth of scholarships to 140 students.  These students represented 20 STEM majors, covering a wide range of disciplines, though many specialize in engineering.

The best way to apply is to go to its website (www.shpe.org), which has a section solely for scholarships.

The deadline for competing for a SHPE scholarship is July 1, 2019.  Scholarships are awarded to a wide range of students, including undergraduates, graduate students, dissertation scholars and professionals pursing continuing education.

In order to be eligible, students must become SHPE members, which entail an annual fee of $10.

SHPE scholarships are awarded based on several factors, including grade point average (GPA), courses taken, writing a personal essay, recommendations and community service, says Dora Renaud, the senior director of programs at SHPE. High school seniors are eligible and are evaluated on the same criteria as college students.

Obtaining one is competitive.  Last year, 1,215 applied for the 140 scholarships that were granted.  But in 2019, 150 scholarships will be issued.  The average scholarship is valued at $2,000.

Most scholarships can be applied at all accredited colleges, but some corporate scholarships are designated for specific colleges.

Here’s what SHPE chief executive officer Raquel Tamez, who is an attorney and based in Washington, D.C., said about earning one of its scholarships:

HO: What is the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers dedicated to?

Tamez: We are dedicated to the education and empowerment of diverse students and professionals in the STEM field, with a focus on Hispanic students and professionals.

HO: Despite your organization’s name, it goes beyond engineering, correct?

Tamez: Our vision and mission are about STEM. Historically, our organization was focused on engineering.  SHPE was created by professional engineers for professional engineers but has evolved over 44 years into an organization that is more comprehensive in its scope and services. Now it goes into sciences and technology.

HO: Describe the advice you’d give a Latino student who wants to earn a SHPE scholarship?

Tamez: They must demonstrate academic excellence with a solid GPA, as well as interest and activity in community engagement. In addition, they must be able to express in their personal essay or statement their need for the scholarship money.

HO: Is earning a scholarship based on need or merit?

Tamez: It’s a combination of both. Certain scholarships are company-sponsored, such as Telemundo scholarships. Those companies provide us with parameters or requirements such as a certain GPA or discipline or aimed at electrical or mechanical engineers.  The other ones are issued and granted by SHPE scholarships.

HO: Name the keys for a Latino student to earn a SHPE scholarship.

Tamez: I think it’s putting together a comprehensive, yet concise and compelling scholarship application.  Students must meet the requirement and articulate their ideas in a concise but persuasive way.    

HO: SHPE is aiming to issue more scholarship awards. How’s that going?

Tamez: It involves going out to more companies and other types of organizations and making the business case for the need for scholarships in these particular areas. The more companies we can interest in SHPE brings more money in, so we can turn around and issue that money in the form of scholarships.

HO: So, it’s not governmental funding?

Tamez: We’re not getting money from state or federal governments to redistribute to our student members.

HO:  Students who earned these scholarships majored in 20 disciplines. What are the most popular disciplines?

Tamez: One of our largest contingencies among our students is mechanical engineers, followed by electrical engineers, computer engineering, then industrial and aerospace engineering.  More and more, our corporate sponsors are talking about technology.

HO: Describe the ideal student that earns a SHPE scholarship?

Tamez: The ideal student is one who can demonstrate a pursuit of academic excellence.  An ideal recipient might not have the highest GPA compared to other applicants. It is a combination of weighing of different components such as whether a student has a solid GPA but is working part-time or actively engaged in the community.  All of these components are given weight.

HO: Why might a student interested in obtaining a scholarship attend your annual convention held this year in Phoenix from October 30 through November 3?

Tamez: At the convention, we hold five conferences—in pre-college, SHPEtinas (women), academic conference, professionals in STEM, and technology and innovation.  Learning happens there, networking happens there, and we hold interviews about job offers, internships and career positions.  For example, at our 2018 conference in Cleveland, we had 500 interview booths.  Boeing extended 155 job offers, and Lockheed Martin made 100 offers.  We had over 8,000 participants.

HO: After a student earns a SHPE scholarship, what else must they do to finance their education?

Tamez: In many ways the SHPE scholarship constitutes a small portion.  It’s important for them to diligently research and identify other scholarships out there. Most Hispanic students must win multiple scholarships and apply for them every year or obtain work/study or federal loans. More often than not, Hispanic families often don’t like to take out loans.

HO: Must that be overcome?

Tamez: It must be overcome if it’s preventing the student from attending a university. My advice is don’t forego school because you don’t want to go into debt.

HO: Providing scholarships for 140 Latino students is wonderful. But aren’t you scratching the surface and only reaching a fraction of students who want to major in STEM?

Tamez:  Students must still apply.  You never know.  Just do it anyway.  If you have a personal statement and your school record, you have the main components of an application.  Succeeding involves just being diligent and persistent in applying.

HO:  Name three specific tasks or things they should do to earn scholarships and grants to pay for their undergraduate education?

Tamez: 1) First and foremost, ensure that your application is complete and that there are no missing parts, 2) Write a strong personal statement, and work with someone like an advisor or mentor or lawyer, 3) Identify as many different scholarships that might be a good match and pursue them.

HO: Anything else you’d like to add?

Tamez: A question that might come up, why would a company sponsor SHPE and give money to it?  If you look at socioeconomic factors and demographics and the increase of Hispanics across the U.S., I’d like to think Hispanics are the future. We are an untapped resource.  HR talent acquisition people like to say, we don’t know where to find talent. I have almost 12,000 members of talent.  We don’t have to import talent. It’s home grown. •