The National Society of Black Engineers-University of Tennessee, Knoxville (NSBE-UTK) chapter recently traveled to Chicago to attend the NSBE51 National Convention. At the convention, UT students took part in workshops and career fairs, interreacted with companies, students from other colleges as well as UT alums.
DaMea Kelly, a senior in the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, kept a daily diary of the chapter’s trip to the convention:
Day 1 (March 5, 2025)
NSBE-UTK arrived eager to see what the day held. We flew in from Knoxville and immediately rode the train to get to the hotel. When we arrived at the convention center, everyone picked up their badges and headed to the opening session.
Day 2 (March 6, 2025)
This day began with NSBE-UTK attending the morning regional meeting. We are in Region 3, also known as the POW3RHOUSE region. It was here that we were able to do our school chant as they went through the roll call. From there, students split and attended any workshops, luncheons, interview prep, etc. that piqued their interest.
I was able to attend a workshop geared towards seniors planning to go into industry, as well as a power brunch hosted by Yahoo. At 6 p.m., the first general session of the week began, energizing the thousands of Black engineers in attendance and preparing them for all that was to come during this convention. The first day of the career fair also began this day, and therefore so did the hunt for internships and full-time jobs. Many of the NSBE-UTK members were able to not only attend the career fair but score interviews also.
Day 3 (March 7, 2025)
After an invigorating opening session, some of the NSBE-UTK executive board members attended a CEO luncheon hosted by Cummings. It was here that we were able to listen to a keynote speaker as well as network with leadership from NSBE chapters all over the U.S. In the end, we received a book titled “Leading Through Disruption” and left the luncheon feeling more empowered than ever.
Later that day, we hosted an alumni dinner at Connie’s Pizza in an attempt to bridge the gap between alumni and current members. We had a total of eight alumni who were able to attend, one of them by the name Sydnee Ruff, who earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from UT. We were able to learn more about the history of the chapter and also share the great things that the chapter is currently doing with our alums. I was also able to attend some hospitality suites with some of the companies in attendance, and while they were not actively looking for chemical engineers, it was still an amazing opportunity to network and put myself out there.
Day 4 (March 8, 2025)
At the end of every National Convention, NSBE hosts what they call the “Golden Torch Awards.” This awards show is dedicated to recognizing Black talent and engineers across different ages, industries, schools, etc. It is an opportunity to shine light on the many hardworking Black engineers that may not get recognized as they should. The entire NSBE-UTK chapter was in attendance, and we even had one of our members recognized for a scholarship (Joseph Kifle). This event was the highlight of the whole week.
