Marie-Pierre Delisle and Louise Hazell, who often better themselves as athletes at Spieker Aquatics Center's Dirks Pool, recently ventured to Austin, Texas with the help of UCLA Athletics to grow as students and potential engineering professionals at WE17. Billed as the world's largest conference for women engineers, it is put on annually by the Society of Women Engineers.
The three-day conference is highlighted by its career fair. There are also opportunities to learn about the gender gap in the industry and what is being done to combat gender bias and change workplace cultures around the world. Keynote speakers were Lorraine Bolsinger, Vice President of XLP GE, and Mary Petryszyn, Sector Vice President and GM of Northrop Grumman Corporation.
"They approached me with a proposal to attend this conference last spring," said Associate Director, Student-Athlete Development Ric Coy of Delisle and Hazell. "And after discussing it with (Associate Athletic Director, Sports & Administration) Ashley Armstrong and (Sr. Associate Athletic Director/SWA) Christina Rivera, we were able to help support their attendance through our Student-Athlete Assistance Fund."
The purpose of the Student-Athlete Assistance Fund is "to assist student-athletes with special financial needs," with most of the money used for educational purposes.
"With so few women in such a male-dominated career field," Coy continued. "We were happy to be able to give them this opportunity."
Delisle, a senior swimmer, is a civil engineering major. Last year, the San Jose, Calif. native was awarded the AV Balakrishnan Scholarship from the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science (HSSEAS). She has been selected to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll each quarter at UCLA and was named to the Pac-12 All Academic second team last season on top of posting five wins in the pool.
Her teammate, junior Elena Escalas, is a double major in computer science and engineering.
Delisle was especially moved by the lack of women in her industry and the chance she has to play a part in changing that, saying, "The SWE Annual Conference was a remarkable event that educated, encouraged and inspired me to break the glass ceiling often experienced by female engineers."
A junior water polo player from Jarfalla, Sweden, Hazell majors in mechanical engineering and has also earned Athletic Director's Honor Roll recognition for each of her quarters in Westwood. She was named an All-Academic "Superior" honoree last year by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) for holding a grade point average (GPA) of 3.41-3.70. Hazell scored one goal and assisted on three others in five games during her sophomore campaign.
"Listening to successful women engineers on how to excel in the industry, networking with potential employers and attending workshops for professional and personal development for three days was amazing," Hazell said. "Thank you, UCLA Athletics, for sending us!"