North Carolina State University ESCAPE Camp

On Wednesday, July 28th, two representatives from the HNP/ NCP chapter of Women in Nuclear Shannon Jones, Electrical/ CPU Engineer, and Heather Szews, Mechanical Engineer) attended a luncheon for the Women In Engineering ESCAPE Camp at NCSU’s Centennial Campus.

The ESCAPE camp is a weeklong,residential summer bridge program providing strategies & tips on success in mathematics, building on computer skills, and helping build an identity with the College of Engineering and NC State. The camp is for high school seniors who have applied to and been accepted into NC State University’s Engineering program and is designed to introduce the young women to various aspects of Engineering and provide them a forum in which they can meet other young women with similar scholastic interests.

Wednesday morning, the ESCAPE camp offered a discussion panel comprised of several professional women in Engineering roles or with Engineering backgrounds representing local companies, of which Progress Energy was one. Ms. Tronda Lee, a Senior Business Operations Process Analyst in the Transmission Operations and Planning-Carolinas section provided her perspective on being a female Engineer in today’s industry- the benefits and the challenges.

Following the panel discussion, a luncheon was provided during which Ms. Jones, Ms. Lee, Ms. Szews, and the panel members were seated at various tables with the incoming freshmen students and were able to have a casual conversation about their work/college Engineering experience. The WIN members and other Progress Employees responded to questions that the campers asked and spoke candidly about their day-to-day jobs and what the incoming freshmen could expect in college and the workplace. The WIN members utilized the opportunity with a captive audience to encourage their interest in the Nuclear field.

Several of the ESCAPE camp attendees sought advice on minors, majors, electives, and other activities in which they could involve themselves in college to make them more marketable to companies upon their graduation. The conversation was informal and lighthearted and both the Engineering professionals and the students enjoyed themselves. The students ended the lunch by preparing for their tour of the John Deere Turf Plant in Fuquay-Varina that afternoon.