Meet Maria Ulloa | Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Next Chapter President

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maria Ulloa and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maria, can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
The most important lesson my club has taught me is that communication is key. You hear it everywhere and they are absolutely right. When we were planning and organizing our annual Girls Inspiring Real Leadership in STEAM conference with FRC team 2543 TitanBot, we needed to have strong communication of how things were going to be run. This was essential on the day of the event so that everything ran smoothly. I always made sure that everyone knew what they were supposed to be doing and checked up on them if they needed any help. I was a bit nervous at first because I wanted to make sure the event was a success and that people, especially girls, interested in STEAM could come and enjoy networking with each other and professionals. Everyone was working as hard as me to make sure we all planned a successful event. On the day of the event, all of our hard work was seen and was a huge success with 180 registered participants, I am taking all that I have learned from my experience planning the conference to planning an art contest for k-12th students later this year.

Another important lesson that I have learned is learning how to balance my life and activities, but also do things that interest me. Has a current junior in high school I definitely have a lot on my plate this year. I have to balance school work with club activities and my personal life as well. This is sometimes not easy when working on events and planning activities for the club. It does get tricky at times but my leadership team and the members are a huge help. I believe that balance is essential and should be something you always take into consideration. I had to learn how to take time for myself and explore my passions and hobbies at the same time. Doing this allowed me to feel less stressed about what is to come and grow as my own person. Experimenting with my interest allowed me to realize that I am interested in computer science, which is my current career path goal.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am proud of and excited about all the community outreach events I have taken part in because of the Society of Women Engineers Next. I was able to plan, organize, and co-host the Girls Inspiring Real Leadership in STEAM (G.I.R.L.S) Conference. The purpose of this conference was to encourage girls to pursue careers in Science Technology Engineering Art and Math (STEAM) and also networking with professionals and collegiate students in STEAM careers. This conference allowed me to learn multiple leadership skills including public speaking and networking. I was able to make connections and ask for mentorships with professionals and college students in engineering. I will always remember the faces of excitement I saw during the event. I remember seeing a little girl get super excited to see one of our speakers and that was when I realized that I did my job right. I am proud of how much we were able to accomplish with the conference and how our efforts made a positive effect on the community.

I am also proud of and excited about the SWENext club members and meeting other girls interested in engineering. As the club president, I have the honor of getting to know all of the members and hearing how passionate they are about engineering. Many of them are interested in different engineering careers and bring new perspectives and inputs to the club. We all work together to create an environment where we can voice our thoughts, opinions, and uplift each other.

When it comes to where I am today, I always thought I was going to do something related to art because that has been a hobby and interest of mine ever since I was little. I began to be interested in engineering when I watched a video where a robot created an art piece at a museum. I was instantly captivated by it because they were able to combine both art and engineering. My first hands-on encounter with engineering was in middle school where I was part of a VEX robotics team. I loved how interactive it was and how I had to troubleshoot and work together with my team to make a robot. Once I reached high school, I joined a FIRST Robotics Competition team, TitanBot. Within the team, I worked in both the media department and the engineering departments, where I learned how to program using LabView. I learned about the Society of Women Engineers Next (SWENext) Club in this robotics team. They explained how SWENext works with the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) at the professional and collegiate levels to inspire and prepare girls for careers in engineering. I am proud to say that I am a 3-year member and now president of this club. I had the opportunity to attend multiple events and talk to various professionals. This allowed me to grow as a student and prepare to become a professional and led me to do many hands-on experiences.

Being where I am right now was not easy. I had to learn to overcome multiple challenges and fears I had. I had to learn how to adequately communicate with professionals and learn public speaking skills, which is scary for me as a high schooler. The best way to learn and prepare for these things is to practice but also have confidence in yourself. You are much more capable than you think, and once you realize this it makes overcoming challenges much easier. I also overcame these challenges by asking for help from my peers. Other people are able to help you see problems and challenges in a different way and sometimes these different perspectives help you overcome them.
All of the experiences and hardships I have overcome, I have used as learning experiences and have allowed me to learn more about myself and become a better person, student, and leader. I am still very young and have lots of things to learn, but I am excited about what is to come in the future and where engineering will take us.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If you ever visit San Diego, Balboa Park is a great place to start. Balboa Park is home to many amazing museums in San Diego. The museums range from art to history, and there are multiple science museums like the Science Fleet Center and the San Diego Air and Space Museum. Inside the Fleet Science Center, there is a planetarium I highly recommend you go visit. You learn a lot about astronomy in a fun and interactive way. The Coronado Hotel is also an interesting place to visit because there is so much to see and there is beautiful scenery. The hotel has an interesting architecture. I would definitely recommend looking inside of the hotel even if it is just the lobby. There are also multiple places where you can walk around and enjoy the view of the beach.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate this shoutout to our amazing club advisor Mr. Foust. He is an amazing teacher, mentor, and person. He is one of our biggest motivators and encourages us to try our best. He is always open to us trying new projects and always keeps us informed of opportunities within the community we can contribute and support. He has made an open and positive environment for everyone and makes sure we all feel appreciated. Mr. Foust always finds a way to motivate us to do our best in and outside the club. He has shown his dedication to our club and members and continues to be our biggest role model to all of us.

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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-ulloa-630978227/