Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) at Binghamton University fosters a space for Hispanic students to develop professional and academic skills, while also providing a home away from home for many.

Founded in 2002, BU SHPE is a chapter of the national SHPE organization. The organization has 12 E-Board positions, as well as graduate advisors. Nico Bustamante, president of SHPE and a senior majoring in computer engineering, explained what SHPE means to him and the purpose behind it.

“SHPE is a national organization that aims to empower Hispanics in STEM,” Bustamante said. “Its purpose in Binghamton is to create a community on campus, not just for Hispanics, but anyone that is and [loves] and does support the Hispanic community. We do all sorts of events that unite us as a family. That is our biggest tagline — that we are familia.”

SHPE holds a wide variety of events that fall into three main topics — technical and professional, social and cultural. Past events included study halls, making mini piñatas, a resume building workshop and a puzzle making competition.

Ann Badia, the vice president of SHPE and a senior majoring in biomedical engineering, shared a snapshot of the experience at one of these events.

“When you walk in, expect to feel welcome,” Badia said. “Expect at least maybe two or three E-Board members to go up to you and be like ‘Oh, what’s your name? What’s your major?’ … [Just] genuinely trying to get to know you.”

The biggest event of the year for SHPE is the national convention with all the other SHPE chapters. The convention hosts a job fair where students can learn about jobs and internships, try to get recruited and discuss research. This past year’s convention was held in November in Salt Lake City, Utah. This upcoming conference will be in Anaheim, California, in conjunction with SHPE’s 50th anniversary.

SHPE has planned many events for this semester specifically, including making a go-kart, a rocket competition and a women in STEM panel. There are also smaller professional development workshops happening throughout, and recently, SHPE hosted a Valentine’s Day fundraiser selling flowers and chocolate-covered strawberries.

Ledwiska Toribo, secretary of SHPE and a senior majoring in computer science, detailed her own experiences as a member of the organization.

“I’ve made so many great connections, [and] I’ve met some of my best friends,” Toribo said. “I think it’s important to have an organization like that on campus because it is like a home away from home for a lot of people. Not only do you bring those customs that you have from your household to campus, but you’re also teaching other people about it.”

Throughout the interview, SHPE members continued to highlight the importance of community and openness in the organization. They stated that SHPE is not just for Hispanic engineers, but anyone who is interested in these events and wants to attend.

Nick Reyes, the treasurer of SHPE and a junior majoring in computer science, explained some of the goals the organization has moving forward.

“[A goal] is just maintaining that atmosphere of community and being able to keep welcoming as many people as possible because everyone is welcome at our events,” Reyes said. “Everyone is welcome to take advantage of [their] career, take advantage of [their] time on campus and go through life with SHPE.”

When looking forward to the future, Bustamante shared his excitement at the growth of the organization from his first time in the organization during COVID-19 and expressed his hope for the momentum to continue.

“I really hope that even if we don’t increase the numbers, I hope we increase in a bond,” Bustamante said. “[SHPE] is somewhere where [people] can grow not just as a student, but as a future engineer, future scientist, future whatever path they choose to take.”

To learn more about SHPE, visit their Instagram, @shpebu or email them at shpe@binghamtonsa.org.