From engineering competitions and national conferences to leadership roles and industry connections, student organizations at CU Denver give students opportunities to build the relationships, experience and confidence that can shape what comes after graduation.
Some of the most important engineering lessons at CU Denver happen after class ends.
They happen when students stay late to get a project working. When a team turns classroom calculations into a steel bridge built for competition. When a student walks into a national conference, introduces themselves to an employer and realizes they belong in the room.
And sometimes, they begin with something much simpler: showing up to a student organization meeting and making a friend.
Across CU Denver’s College of Engineering, Design and Computing (CEDC), student organizations give students a place to find community while building skills and relationships that extend far beyond campus. Students can build, compete, lead, travel and connect with professionals through organizations spanning engineering disciplines, technical interests and professional communities.
Mechanical engineering B.S graduate Kamaren Kelly can trace tangible outcomes back to taking that first step.
“There are so many organizations that promote social and technical growth,” Kelly said. “From National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) , Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), to Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE), AI Student Association, LYNX Robotics … there is a club here for everyone. I have met so many friends outside of school, gained internship offers, and even industry connections from taking the first step to join these clubs.”
Friends. Internship offers. Industry connections. At CEDC, getting involved with student organizations opens doors to all three.
Find your people
For some students, community forms around a shared technical challenge.
Competition teams and technical organizations give students another place to apply what they are learning while developing the collaboration, communication and problem-solving skills engineering requires.
For CU Denver ASCE Chapter President Keidyfer Leon, that experience came through the American Society of Civil Engineers and its Steel Bridge Competition.
“Being part of ASCE has been one of the most meaningful parts of my college experience,” Leon said. “Through opportunities like the ASCE Steel Bridge Competition, I’ve been able to apply what I learn in class to real-world challenges, work with a great team, and see how creativity and engineering come together to make an impact.”
But before the conference trips, hackathons, leadership positions or internship conversations, student organizations offer something fundamental: the chance to find your people.
Engineering, computing and design programs are challenging and rewarding. Having classmates who understand the workload, share advice, work through problems together and encourage one another can make all the difference in the college experience.
“SASE has genuinely changed our CU Denver experience,” says Lisa Cho, Chloe Ha, Sybil Raphael, and David Yee, winners of the Grand Prize at STEM Connect hackathon last Fall. “We often talk about how grateful we are to have joined SASE and had the opportunity to go to Pittsburgh and work together as a team.”
The student sitting beside you at a meeting today might become the teammate who enters a competition with you, the friend who tells you about an internship or the trusted engineer you call years after graduation.
Former NSBE member and graduate Zahra Abdullahi described a community where support extends well beyond scheduled meetings.
“We share what we learn,” Abdullahi said. “It’s not unheard of me getting a call at 11 p.m. with questions about filling out FAFSA. We help each other out. That’s what family does.”
That sense of connection can be especially valuable in a rigorous academic environment. But its impact can extend well beyond college, becoming the foundation of a professional network students can carry with them throughout their careers.
“Technical skills are very important and will define performance in an industry; however, the ability to network will open the door for so many opportunities,” says Kelly. “I was able to land my first internship offer from a reference. This was entirely made by making meaningful connections.”
Get into professional rooms before you graduate
Some of the biggest opportunities available through CEDC student organizations happen far beyond Denver.
Organizations including the National Society of Black Engineers, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers and Society of Women Engineers connect students with larger professional communities through national conferences, workshops and networking opportunities. That let our students into professional spaces before they graduate.
“SASE has provided us with so many opportunities to develop professionally. We’ve attended career panels, networking events, and workshops that have helped us prepare for our futures.” Says Lisa Cho, former co-president of SASE and recent Computer Science graduate.
At conferences and professional events, students practice introducing themselves, explaining their technical experience and asking questions. They meet engineers doing jobs they may not have known existed, see what students from other universities are researching and building, and gain a clearer understanding of what employers are looking for.
“[Attending a conference] opened up way more doors for me,” said Tu Bui, a mechanical Engineering student. “Being surrounded with highly motivated engineering students motivated me to shoot for the stars and to continue challenging myself in many ways.”
The experience can also make an internship search or first professional conversation feel less intimidating. By the time graduation approaches, students may have already spent years learning how to navigate those rooms.
“Networking with individuals who have already been in the industry really helped me get an insight on what recruiters were really looking for,” says Bui. “This experience motivates me to push myself harder every day and to continue improving myself in every way possible.”
Former SHPE President David Malfavon saw what that access could mean firsthand.
“Being part of SHPE here at CU Denver has allowed me to connect with fellow Hispanic students pursuing engineering, fostering both academic and professional growth,” Malfavon said. “I managed to secure two interviews on the spot [at our last conference].”
That is what networking can look like when it moves from an abstract career-development concept to an actual conversation with someone who hires engineers.
The experience you build alongside your degree
There is no single student organization every CEDC student should join. There is no perfect number of meetings to attend, competitions to enter or conferences to travel to. The opportunity here is in getting involved.
Longtime CU Denver civil engineering professor and former department chair Kevin Rens, PhD, PE, puts the advice simply:
“Pick one student professional organization or club and stick with it and get involved in it,” Rens said. “It will give you benefits throughout your entire career.”
Your classes will help you build the technical foundation for your degree. The people you meet, projects you take on and opportunities you pursue alongside them can help shape where that degree takes you.
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