engineering at San Jose State College Magazine
Student Profile – Aleeza Huraira
Aleeza Huraira is a junior majoring in Computer Engineering at San José State University. Currently, she serves as the president of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) at SJSU, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering women in engineering and technology to reach their full potential. As president, Aleeza is committed to creating an interdisciplinary, inclusive, and supportive environment where students from all backgrounds can connect and build a strong community. Outside of SJSU, she has gained valuable experience in both software and hardware engineering through internships at Uber and Advantest. Watch her full interview now!
Inspiring 2025 WiE Conference
On March 15 over 500 individuals came together at the 11th annual Women in Engineering (WiE) conference to see the latest trends, hear from leaders in industry, and network. This year’s theme was “Engineering a New Era of Possibilities.” The morning kicked off with Dean Sheryl Ehrman welcoming all attendees, which was followed by remarks from representatives from Stanford, Google Deepmind, and TSMC. There were several breakout sessions throughout the day including: Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics and Healthcare, Biomedical, and Aerospace, to name a few.
Motivation for Attending WiE
Esperanza Marguez, a San José City College transfer student now attending SJSU and majoring in chemistry, was curious about the university’s engineering program. She also wanted to make new connections at the conference and enjoyed being at an event where women in STEM were being highlighted.
Ann Jojo, a software engineering major at CSU Monterey Bay, hoped to meet more women in the computer science field to help her decide what sector of technology to go into after graduation. “I hope to make a great impact and change people’s lives someday,” she said.
Ron Paige, who happens to be the only African American math professor in the history of City College of San Francisco (CCSF), wants to see an increase in the number of underrepresented individuals in STEM. He rallied students at CCSF to be at WiE so they could be in a space where they could see their potential. “We can learn so much from each other, and I want to encourage everyone to continue exploring and keep those relationships going like the ones that are created at the conference,” he added.
Areesha Imtiaz, a junior computer science student attending Cal Poly Pomona, wanted to make connections at the conference in order to secure an internship.
Heba Alazzeh, who is currently a student at the College of San Mateo, came to the conference because she’s passionate about technology and STEM and wanted to connect with more women in the field. “It’s great to see women supporting, uplifting, and inspiring one another at a conference like WiE,” she said.
Javier Aginiga Alvarez, a physics major at Sacramento City College who hopes to transfer to one of the four-year universities that includes SJSU, wanted to see inspiration from those who don’t always get the first chance. “I’m a big believer in women and this is an event that’s empowering,” he explained.
Javier’s outlook in wanting to see women succeed was forged in growing up with a mother and sister, but no male influence in his immediate family. Seeing how important his mother and sister were in his life gave him a perspective on having women in STEM and beyond. Seeing the innovation and networking that the women at WiE brought to the table was inspiring to him. “It’s very important that men and women work together in the STEM area because each individual brings a different perspective to the workplace or project. No matter if you are a man or a woman, keep following your dreams!”
Thank You, Sponsors
Thanks to all the volunteers, speakers, and attendees for making the 2025 WiE conference another successful event. Thanks also to the sponsors: The Mark and Carolyn Guidry Women in Engineering Program Fund, Dexcom, Google, Applied Materials, Erika Lockheimer, IBM, Kiewit, KLA, Lockheed Martin, Marvel, and Synopsys for their continued support of the event.
Prof. Ahmed Banafa – 23andMe Data Deletion
Back in October, Bay Area-based genealogy company 23andMe became the victim of a massive data breach, and now, the company is in financial distress. California Attorney General Rob Bonta is warning the 7 million customers who were affected to consider deleting their data. Join KCBS radio news anchor Liz Saint John and Professor Banafa at San José State University who specialize in technology and cybersecurity on how these data can be taken advantage of.