On her first week of freshman year, Kiara Santiago headed to the Society of Women Engineers table to find like-minded students.
Growing up in East Chicago, it was rare to find other young women looking to enter an engineering field.
“I kinda felt alone,” said Santiago, 18. “In my high school, I didn’t find too many girls that wanted to do that. They wanted to be in the medical field.”
The Purdue Northwest mechanical engineering major said she was looking for clubs to join for discussion.
“The class I just had today — it was first-year engineering — there was, I think three girls in a class of 30, 40 students,” Santiago said.
We have to “kinda band together, because what if I need someone to support (me), you know?”
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On the other side of the table, Julia Brown, 20, a mechanical engineering major, was trying to recruit more members — including men — to the club.
Currently, it had about 10 members, she said. Like Santiago, she said she was drawn to engineering from personal interests.
“I like cars,” she said. “My dad told me I had to pick a career that would make me $50,000, so I merged the two.”
More than 1,500 Purdue Northwest students attended its Welcome Rally on Thursday — an annual event that connects students to majors, causes and clubs. About 150 booths were set up in the center of campus.
The event was one of its biggest of the year, said spokeswoman Kris Falzone.
There, Purdue Northwest also highlighted plans to build a three-floor, 69,000-square-foot, $40.5 million Bioscience Innovation Building that will house nursing and biological sciences majors.
The university hosted a brief reception for state lawmakers on Thursday. About $35 million of that cost will be covered by state funds appropriated during the legislative session earlier this year.
The building will have space for assessment clinics, a simulation suite and nursing skills laboratories, according to the university. The Biology Department will also include advanced laboratories.
Purdue Northwest will break ground on the building later this year, according to Falzone. It is the Hammond campus’ first new building in 20 years, she said.
It will be built south of the campus’ student union, near 173th Street. The building is scheduled to be completed in 2019.