Working Mothers Panel & MS Walk Recap

A BIG thank-you goes out to our working mothers who served on our panel for our April 9th meeting: Mary, Carey, Erin and Anne! We appreciate you taking the time out of your busy lives to share with those who plan on having children someday while working at the same time. These working mothers gave great advice and shared a lot of the same helpful hints: don't hesitate to ask for help, take a few minutes everyday to relax, enjoy the time with your baby - time goes by too fast, and don't forget to take care of yourself too! Although the meeting wasn't well attended, those who came got a lot out of it where it was a personable meeting with flowing conversation.

The MS Walk was a success! Team SWE surpassed their goal of $500. We raised close to $700 to not only support research for a cure tomorrow, but also to provide programs which address the needs of people living with MS today. It was a beautiful spring day. Our team of 8 joined 1,100 other walkers around Lake Hood to help fund MS research. Some of us ended up at the free bar-b-que at the finish line to fill up on free hot dogs and chips. It was a good time by all!

SWE Region J Conference - Vancouver

Some of us just got back from the Region J Conference in Vancouver/Portland area and had a wonderful time. The theme was 'Sustainable and Responsible Engineering.' We had the privilege of lodging in the first LEED certified Hilton in the world! We got to experience wonderful workshops on sustainability from 'The Solar Highway' to 'Agricycle' as well as sessions that taught us how to communicate effectively and strategize toward our future career goals. Keynote speakers included the National SWE President - Michelle Tortolani, Mayor of Vancouver - Royce Pollard and Oregon Secretary of State - Bill Bradbury. All the speakers gave an eye opener of how we can do little things to protect the environment in a big way. The conference was well attended with approximately 150 participants. There were four professional representatives from the Greatland Section and one student from Fairbanks. We enjoyed networking with our fellow region members and exchanging ideas for our sections.

Tomorrow we hope to see you at our monthly meeting featuring a working mother's panel. Five working mothers will answer questions on finding a work-life balance and much more. The meeting will take place at DOWL Engineers located at 4041 B Street at 5:30pm. Please bring some questions to ask and stories to share.