Finding Strength in Numbers: Society of Women Engineers President Gowrisree Juttiga on Representing PNW Nationally
When Gowrisree Juttiga, President of Purdue University Northwest’s (PNW) Society of Women Engineers (SWE) chapter, stepped into the SWE National Conference, she paused and took it all in.
Nearly 20,000 women engineers filled the convention center. Students, researchers, and industry leaders moved with energy and purpose. For Gowrisree, it was more than a conference. It was affirmation.
“It was overwhelming in the best way,” she reflected.
Her commitment to empowering women in STEM began in high school, when she worked with the student-led nonprofit Girl STEMinist to help bridge the gender gap in STEM. As a workshop coordinator, she invited professionals to speak with young women about career paths and workplace navigation. That experience shaped her understanding of leadership. Success was not just personal advancement. It was creating opportunities for others.
At PNW, she carried that philosophy into her role as SWE Chapter President.
In New Orleans, surrounded by thousands of women who shared similar ambitions and challenges, she felt a powerful sense of belonging.
“There is strength in our numbers,” she said. “There is real power in community.”
The most important lesson I took away was that growth happens when you place yourself in environments that challenge you.
The conference expanded her technical and professional perspective. In one session, automation engineers demonstrated how artificial intelligence and analytics are transforming supply chains. As a computational mathematics and statistics major interested in business systems, she saw how the modeling tools she studies drive real operational decisions.
The career fair brought a different challenge. With more than 400 companies recruiting, the environment was intense. For a moment, she questioned whether she was competitive enough. Then she reframed the experience. Drawing on her preparation and leadership, she spoke confidently about her technical foundation and her work building community at PNW.
“The most important lesson I took away,” she shared, “was that growth happens when you place yourself in environments that challenge you.”
Gowrisree attended alongside eight other PNW students and faculty advisor Shukri Abotteen. With support from college leadership and the Dean’s Excellence Fund, nine students were fully supported to attend, marking the largest SWE national delegation in the college’s history.
What distinguishes this story, however, is what happened next.
Before traveling, the students intentionally divided conference sessions so they could collectively maximize their learning. When they returned to campus, they came back ready to turn insight into action.
They invited a national speaker to host a virtual workshop on focus and productivity for PNW students. They developed a cybersecurity session inspired by emerging themes in automation and artificial intelligence. They created a career preparation workshop to help students practice introductions, refine résumés, and approach recruiters with confidence.
The result was tangible. Attendance was strong. Conversations were active. Students who had not traveled to the conference gained access to national-level insights and practical tools for success.
What began as an opportunity for nine students multiplied into programming that reached dozens more across campus.
Experiences like the SWE National Conference demonstrate what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Our students do more than attend. They return as catalysts, strengthening their peers and extending the impact of every investment made in them.
Through that ripple effect, the PNW College of Engineering and Sciences continues building a community where leadership, confidence, and opportunity expand far beyond a single event.