Get it here: http://guidebook.com/g/nsbe2012/

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Powering You To Succeed: Enhancing Your Brand
Power Lunch 1, Sponsored by Eaton Corporation
At this exciting Power Lunch, attendees will have the opportunity to learn tactics that can help build their personal brand and make them more attractive employees or job-seekers. Remember, if you don’t brand yourself, others will do it for you.

Shell and Natural Gas
Power Lunch 2, Sponsored by Shell Oil Company
At this Power Lunch, we will cover: Understanding Tight and Shale Gas, Accessing tight and shale gas (new technologies at Shell and safety), Demystifying hydraulic fracturing, Innovating role of natural gas in renewable energy, and Understanding the impact of team players and cross-functional teams. In this interactive session, attendees will have opportunity to ask questions of the presenter(s) as well as to showcase their knowledge in answering questions from the presenters.

GSC Kickoff – Sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering
The Graduate School Conference Kickoff Lunch is the opening event for the GSC Mini-Conference and sets the tone for the entire Graduate School Conference. It is the first opportunity attendees have to network with current and perspective graduate students from across the globe, NSBE officers, session speakers, faculty members, and GSC planners. This year’s GSC subtheme is: Graduates Today… Innovators Tomorrow – Your “Blueprint” to Success. This event includes a formal welcome and a known motivational speaker. Emphasis will be on inspiring and encouraging members to actively partake in convention sessions/workshops and develop their own personal “blueprints”.

Power Systems Experience Center Tour sponsored by Eaton Corporation
Seeing is believing. Ever wanted to visit a venue that could provide a safe, controlled environment for training, testing, and product demonstrations of Eaton’s products? The Power Systems Experience Center (PSEC) is the place for you!
Here, you can see some of the most advanced approaches to power quality and energy management and safety in action. The Center is a full-scale demonstration and test-facility and laboratory. Our goal is to help take the mystery out of power quality and energy management issues.

University of Pittsburgh Graduate Technical Tour
The NSBE Graduate Technical Tour is an opportunity for you to visit the newly renovated state-of-the-art teaching and research environments of the Swanson School of Engineering. Prospective graduates will be able to connect with faculty members, engineering departments and begin planning for your graduate future. More advanced graduate students considering post-graduate work at the University of Pittsburgh can also use this opportunity to network with current graduate students and faculty members while learning about the exciting opportunities the University has to offer.

Sidney Ngochi was the 2008-2009 Chapter President at the University of Maryland, College Park during the year in which they won the National Distinguished Chapter of the Year Award. Sidney is now an engineer at Procter and Gamble’s Fabric Care Packaging organization and is pursuing his MBA at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

NSBE leadership was the best decision I made in college. I was an active member as a sophomore, volunteered into the Finance Chair position as a junior, and was elected Chapter President as a senior when we achieved the distinction of NSBE’s 2008-2009 National Distinguished Chapter of the Year Award. Like many of you, NSBE leadership exposed me to the usual advertised opportunities such as developed public speaking skills, increased job opportunities and extremely valuable team experiences.

I won’t get into those details however. The most impactful benefit I got from being a NSBE leader was significant experience in a certain lifestyle model that produces results, gives me confidence, and provides a structure with which to tackle any challenges I might face. NSBE leaders are accountable. Unlike our peers we chose a seemingly harder path to getting our degree. We have to attend extra meetings, plan and execute events with excellence. we are also responsible for managing the chapter, are charged with maintaining relationships with our advisors and sponsors, all while balancing our academic workload. NSBE leaders are confident in their ability to plan a program, deliver the required messages, balance the books, and go back to doing homework week in and week out. Just a year of executing these responsibilities can build exceptional capability in a NSBE leader. I spent three years in that system. I learned through NSBE to thrive in a changing environment. Today, as an engineer in Procter and Gamble’s Fabric Care Packaging organization, I am responsible for launching multiple projects, some of which are global. I find myself seamlessly owning the package development of several liquid laundry initiatives and tapping into the skills I developed as a NSBE leader, often times more than I tap into some of the advanced concepts I learned in the classroom. I have to be an effective team member, manage risks, assemble and lead multifunctional teams, and develop plans to solve complex development issues amongst other responsibilities. Outside of work, I am pursuing my MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, which comes with its own trials and time commitments. I can easily say I would not have been able to balance all these responsibilities within my first few years of work without having previous experience as a NSBE leader.

This is what NSBE leadership did for me. My peers during that time would all attest to the same great opportunities and lifetime gains they got through NSBE leadership. My advice to anyone considering a NSBE leadership position is to get in the game and start playing; become an active member first. Getting started has always been the hardest leadership step but once you develop that familiarity and trust with your NSBE members, everything else will fall into place and actually become routine. It’s much easier to deliver a campaign speech to your friends than it is to deliver one to a “random” group of NSBE members who don’t know your abilities. NSBE is actually one of the best opportunities to get involved because the chapter structure is defined through the National Bylaws. This means initially, all a NSBE leader has to do is follow the guidelines written for their role. It also means there are hundreds of people who are performing similar roles in various chapters across the nation that can be contacted in times of need.

The second piece of advice I would give anyone interested in NSBE leadership is to internalize what the mission means to you. For me, I was very interested in the development aspect and used NSBE as an avenue to develop my peers. From our Student Leadership Retreats, where we networked with leaders from local chapters, to our Technology Showcases where companies presented new technologies to us, I made sure members left every meeting knowing more than they came in with. Other leaders were passionate about different parts of the mission. For some, recruiting and developing a pipeline of qualified black students was the main driver. For others, NSBE was an avenue to apply their technical expertise, such as web design, towards a cause. Whatever your reason is for being an active NSBE member, being a NSBE leader will help you become extremely comfortable in today’s volatile and uncertain workplaces and arm you with the skills needed to always perform above and beyond the norm.

Good Luck

Before I got to NC State, I was told the following, “Don’t let your GPA slip because it will be hard to pull it up” Why didn’t I listen? I had several upperclassmen tell me over and over again to watch my GPA and make sure I kept it up. Again, why didn’t I listen? Better yet, why didn’t I take action to make sure I wouldn’t have any GPA problems? I’ll never know the answer to these questions but I can tell you what happened and why my GPA is so important to me now.

In the beginning:

I was fortunate to attend the Summer Transition Program for Minority Engineering Students the summer of 2008. In this program, I was able to gain college credit and points toward my GPA by taking Pre-Calculus. I ended up with an A in the class and a 4.0 GPA to start my fall semester. During the fall semester I did not use all of my resources. I struggled in Chemistry but I didn’t get a tutor. I barely studied in groups and struggled with the material on my own. I was a slacker. I lived 22 steps away from my first class of the day (that’s 22 steps from me getting out of my bed, getting on the elevator, and walking across the street where my classroom was) and I still managed to have 9 absences, which changed my grade from a solid B to a solid C. I was devastated.

That served as a wake up call; however, I still wasn’t alert enough to get my act together. In the spring, I thought I was super woman and picked up a second major and took on 18 credit hours. Included in the 18 credit hours were Physics 205M for Engineers, Calculus 2, Intro to Computer Engineering, and two Communications classes. The physics class was at 8:05am and I am NOT a morning person so I was either late all the time or asleep in class (this included lab). Needless to say, I was doing way too much. I began putting other things over school work and I was not putting in the work I needed to be successful. I tried to remain positive and even posted motivational quotes all over my room – ‘Never give up, Never give up, never!’, ‘Why put off for tomorrow, what you can do today?’, and my favorite ‘Just Do It’ among others. I even had a week where I barely slept and I got everything done and I felt accomplished – then I crashed. And once I crashed I don’t think I ever got back up.

The turning point:

After that semester I knew something had to give. These were not the grades I was used to. I had never seen a GPA this low in my life. Once I reflected, I realized that I was going about things all wrong. I had too much on my plate and I did not like Computer Engineering! What did I do? I switched my major and matriculated into the Computer Science department. I took a very light course load the next fall and I realized that the college load is way different from a high school load, and I got my act together!

I came to NC State knowing that I wanted to be a Delta and while this was not my number one priority, it wasn’t low on my list. Once I received a 2.75 GPA (which is the minimum to be a member) I knew I had to get my act together, not only for Delta but for me. I knew that with this GPA I was going to struggle at getting internships and limit myself for other opportunities. I was right. I had a chance to intern for GE and General Mills and I was recommended to be an Engineering Ambassador but guess what, my GPA was too low. As far as Delta goes, I didn’t even expect anyone to take me serious with the minimum GPA Besides, I knew that this was an organization of distinction and I did not expect to be considered with the minimum. I knew to be apart of such an organization I needed to have the minimum plus some. So I did what I had to do.

In the fall of 2009, I took 13 credit hours and held two small leadership positions. I went to office hours, studied in groups, attended tutoring, and most of all I put school first. As a result, I went from a 2.75 overall to a 2.92 overall. I’ll never forget checking for my last grade during Christmas break and shouting for joy when I saw that I had made such a difference in my GPA This may have been the best Christmas gift to me. Reflecting on that semester, I remember constantly listening to Tye Tribbet’s ‘No Other Choice’ and singing it out loud as I went to class. At this point, I really didn’t have any other choice but to trust that He would bring me through and he did and for that I’m grateful. I also managed to fit the gym in my schedule that semester and it probably was one of my best semesters at State. In fact, it was considering that I did so well in my Computer Science class my professor included me on her Undergraduate Research team and paid me to play with Android phones!

Spring 2010 went well. I gained another internship, excelled in my leadership positions, became the chair of the Black Students Board, and I was initiated into the Mu Omicron chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. I continued with the same things that I did in the fall and my GPA managed to go up but it was in Fall 2010 when I had a setback.

The setback:

Fall 2010 started off busy. As the chair of the Black Students Board, I was obligated to attend almost everyday of Wolfpack Welcome Week on behalf of the Union Activities Board. I also had to plan, execute, and perform in the annual Back 2 School Jam, which caused me to miss two classes, a mistake in judgment on my part. I was also trying to have a ‘Greek life’ and go everywhere my line sisters went – parties, social gatherings, etc. This semester started off stressful and ended up stressful. I failed my first physics test, got caught up with integrity issues in my Computer Science class and despite what I learned the semester before, I made a mountain of excuses for why I wasn’t excelling in my Computer Science class. I won’t go into detail about it but long story short, my teacher had never taught the class before and his skills were subpar. For some reason I thought that would work in my favor – nope. I received the lowest grade in my life, a D+! At the discretion of my advisor, I dropped the Physics class, which took a lot of stress off of me; however, I was still being a slacker. I skipped golf too much and received Unsatisfactory in the course, which is sad for a physical education class. Despite all of this, I did receive a B+ in Discrete Math. The game-changer this semester was that I was Greek and I didn’t know how to handle it. I felt obligated to put Delta before some other things and got my priorities all mixed up. Once I reflected on this, I came into the next semester ready.

The comeback:

In Spring 2011, I was on a mission. As soon as I could, I signed up for a tutor for my Physics class and it paid off. The first test I earned an 82 instead of the 52 I received the last semester and I really understood the information. However, I wasn’t doing so well in my computer science class because I devoted all of my time to physics and I was advised to drop it. My other classes weren’t nearly as hard they just required my time so I had to make sure I did what I needed to do. I worked and worked and worked to pass this physics class and had a minor set back when I got a D+ on one of my tests. As a result, I had to work extra hard to ensure that I passed the final. To make the long story short, I ended up with a C+ in the class and I was satisfied with that. I know I earned the C+ so I wasn’t mad at all.

This semester was a lot considering I had to plan a Sneaker/Hip-Hop Summit and the week long Pan-Afrikan Festival and I was the step master and had to ensure we had everything together in order to do well in the step show. Not to mention the NSBE conference, this caused me to miss class.

Moving forward:

Until now, I never thought about taking summer school. Mainly, I didn’t know where the aid would come from, however, this summer I decided to take two fairly easy classes. The aid worked out and I ended up with an A- the first session, which put me at a 2.996! I couldn’t believe I was so close. The second course I took I earned an A and now I have a 3.03!!

I can’t explain how happy I am for this GPA but I do need to explain why this means so much to me. With engineering, some people don’t expect us to have superior GPAs. My advisor told me that I was doing well with my 2.92. Of course I looked at her sideways because I know everyone doesn’t feel this way.

For example, at the NSBE conference, I know I talked to 10+ companies and EVERYONE loved me but said, “you need to get your GPA a little higher” or “I would hire you, but you have to have a 3.0”. At least they talked to me and got to know me. A recruiter (for a HUGE company) told me “I’d hire you right now, but you have to have a 3.0”. This was my motivation to do better. I have a friend who is in Computer Science with a 3.6 GPA My mentor, a Varsity Basketball player, graduated with honors from the Computer Science department. So why can’t I?

It’s obvious that I started off wrong and let a number of things distract me on my road to success. But for people to tell me that a 2.8+ in engineering is good when I have some recruiters basically telling me to ‘talk to the hand’ with my 2.9+, a 3.0 was a must! My 2.75, 2.92, and 2.93 did not keep me from having an internship. It did not keep me from pursing leadership positions. So why was this so important?

It’s simple. No one likes to have limitations on them so when someone constantly tells you no, you do something about it! Am I satisfied with the 3.03? Of course, but I know I have a long road ahead to keep it and increase it. I am so happy I finally got it. However, I do understand that I have a lot of work to do because I am still at the bare minimum, but this is still a start.

So, to those with low GPA’s, DON’T GIVE UP! There are plenty of internship opportunities out here that don’t care about your GPA too much. When I had the 2.75, I worked at Deloitte in Tennessee. When I had the 2.92, I was hired at Progress Energy in Raleigh. When I had the 2.93, I was hired at Fidelity Investments. I’m also on the regional board for NSBE this year. I haven’t had to pay for my education or take out any loans since I’ve been in college!

People make it seem like you need a superior GPA to get an internship, get funding in school, and gain leadership positions. Well you don’t. In fact, I had multiple offers each summer after my freshman year. As long as people understand that you’re working hard and trying your best, they’ll understand your struggle and encourage you to do your best. Just don’t settle!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this abridged version of my college career and possibly took something from it.

Be Blessed! Dream Big! Live Life!

Upload your resume to NSBE’s Job Placement Center in IMPak. Several of our recruiting companies utilize this service.

TIP #2

Get verified! Submit your transcripts to scholarships@nsbe.org! Your GPA does not matter.

TIP #3

Wear your chapters t-shirt during Friday’s opening session! We want to see “Which Zone Resigns Supreme”.

TIP #4

Read former REB member, Arielle Benjamin’s note about FRC pointers: http://on.fb.me/vqoOY4

TIP #5

Read the career fair guide http://bit.ly/w57JB0 to find out how you can succeed professionally at the career fair.

MORE INFORMATION UPON ARRIVAL ON SITE!

REGISTRATION

To keep registration flowing smoothly, please have 1 or 2 representatives from each chapter register the entire chapter at Registration.  If they have already paid, just bring a form of ID (school or government issued).  If they are unpaid or are registering on-site, please have them register themselves at Registration.  Remember, personal checks or cash WILL NOT be accepted.  You must pay with either a credit or debit card, certified checks on a money order.

PARKING

• On-site parking, fee: 28 USD daily
• Valet parking, fee: 40 USD daily
• In/out privileges included in daily fee

As a society we pride ourselves on fulfilling our mission. One of the key points of the NSBE mission is to “positively impact the community.” In order to fulfill this part of the mission it is critical that we are participating in community service efforts both locally and globally.

But why is community service so vital to our development as citizens? By participating in community service efforts we become more aware and gain exposure to what is going on in out communities and around the world. We are able to impact and bright to light those unfamiliar, unrepresented and underfunded communities who otherwise may easily be forgotten. It is our duty to help revive troubled areas and individuals.

According to data collected in September 2010, only 26.3 percent of the United States population participated in some form of volunteer work. Out of that only 19.4 percent of the Black population participated in volunteer activities.¹ As the National Society of Black Engineers we should be working together internally and externally to increase these numbers across the board.

If we want to truly fulfill our mission and “positively impact the community” we must become aware, get involved and serve our communities! To find out more about the Society’s community outreach efforts, visit the TORCH website.

¹ United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Volunteering in the United States, 2010, http://www.bls.gov/news.release/volun.nr0.htm (Jan. 26, 2011)

Warrant G. Bennis, the founding Chairman of the Leadership Institute, once said, “leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality”, knowing how to plan the actions so that a vision can be realized. In this area, the North Carolina A&T State University chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers has excelled. In particular, A&T has put action to the National Directive of Academic Excellence and the Regional Directive of Leadership Development.

Chapter Leadership Retreat (CLR) is a tradition for the North Carolina A&T State University NSBE Chapter. The event always takes place at the beginning of each Fall Semester in order to prepare the Chapter Executive Board for the upcoming school year and also the Regional Leadership Conference. The training and activities of the event are planned by the incoming Chapter President. This year CLR took place on August 20, 2011. There were several ice breaking and team building activities. There were also three guest speakers who discussed Time Management, Accountability and Being A Leader. Chapter President, James Lindsey, spoke about the importance of each position, dress code and basic policies that all executive board members will abide by. The forethought in planning has not only inspired the executive leaders of the chapter to achieve greater excellence in execution of the vision but also provided a more clear understanding of their roles in achieving the vision and mission.

Because of the success of this event, the academic year for A&T has already begun on a high note with their “Meet the Dean” event to allow members to meet the new Dean of Engineering; an invaluable resource to engineering students working to achieve academic excellence. For their commitments to Leadership Development and Academic Excellence, we commend the North Carolina A&T State University chapter.

Click here to register now!

Make sure you continue to visit the Fall Regional Conference page for updates about the conference.

Daymanuel “Manny” Sampson is a junior at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Having been involved with NSBE since his NSBE Jr. days at Charles H. Flowers High School, he feels that NSBE has helped him to succeed in his endeavors.

Manny is pursuing a degree in Civil Engineering and is enjoying every minute of it. He says, “It’s such a diverse field. With a strong love for math and the sciences, alongside an interest in engineering and being hands-on, I felt like civil engineering was the move for me”.

When asked how he became involved in NSBE at the collegiate level, he jokingly replied, “It all started with the promise of pizza at the general body meeting”. But in all seriousness, he discussed the different activities and programs that were executed at Carnegie Mellon that align with the NSBE mission.  He explained that those were really what attracted him to the organization.

Manny has a very visible passion for NSBE. He has previously used his creativity and humor to serve as the Publicity Chair, brainstorming new and innovative ways to keep the membership informed. He currently serves as the Vice President in the 2011-2012 academic year for the Carnegie Mellon chapter.

This summer, Manny worked at Hensel Phelps Construction Company in Maryland. It was his first internship and he said, “It is such a different experience and I have loved every moment of it”.  We wish Manny the best of luck in everything that he does, and can’t wait to see what he brings to NSBE this year! 2222222 Hype!!