SWE Leading Members
How do you become a SWE Leading Member? It’s pretty simple, you must gain points by being an active member who is officially a SWE member. Once you are a registered SWE member, you can get points by actively participating in the following activities:
Volunteering Events – 3 points
SWE Organized Events – 2 points
Recruit a Friend to Join SWE – 2 points
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If you are selected to be a SWE Leading Member, you will also get a special SWE goodie bag and be featured on our social media platforms like these wonderful members:
SWE Leading Member September 2022: Niharika Heading link
Niharika Patil (She/her)
Freshman in Computer Science
SWE Leading Member January 2022: Kayla Heading link
Kayla Vargas (She/her)
Senior in Electrical Engineering
My name is Kayla Vargas and I am a Senior in Electrical Engineering. I really love the signals and systems side of Electrical Engineering and would like to pursue that in the future. I truly appreciate how SWE enables its members to connect with other women in engineering through their events.
SWE Leading Member October 2021: Noemi Heading link
Noemi Andras (She/her)
Senior in Computer Science
Minor in Germanic Studies
My name is Noemi Andras and I am majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Germanic Studies. This is my final year at UIC as a senior! While these past three and a half years have gone by in the blink of an eye, my time spent with SWE is something I will cherish. From GBMs to volunteering and organizing outreach events such as ‘Mom, Me and SWE’, I have met wonderful people such as my UIC SWE peers or the kids participating in the outreach events. They have inspired me and supported me through challenging times and I am grateful for that. I am trying to embrace that I will be graduating soon, and I am sure everything will take care of itself. In the meantime, you can catch me taking the Metra, working on my CS projects, hanging out with friends or reading books.
Connect with Noemi on LinkedIn here!: Noemi’s LinkedIn
SWE Leading Member September 2021: Darlene Heading link
Darlene Salacsacan (She/her)
Junior in Computer Engineering
I’m Darlene Salacsacan and I’m a Junior majoring in Computer Engineering. I commute to UIC by Metra and I’m from Oak Lawn, Illinois. I like that SWE allows me to be exposed to several opportunities such as learning new connections to people and companies. I also like that it connects me to other engineers, especially women engineers. The things that I like to do are singing, watching tv shows/movies, and writing. My career goals are to get an internship hopefully for the summer and to possibly work in a big tech company. My pronouns are she/her.
Connect with Darlene on LinkedIn here!: Darlene’s LinkedIn
SWE Leading Member October 2019: Angie Heading link
Preferred name and pronouns
Angie, she/her/hers
Where are you from?
Indonesia
What is your major/year?
Chemical Engineering/Sophomore
Why did you decide to major in engineering?
I wanted to be a part of something that can help make the world better and be hands-on with it. Other than that, my dad is an engineer and growing up I’ve always wanted to be like him so he inspired me to become one.
Do you have any hobbies?
Singing, playing piano, guitar, saxophone and binge-watching tv series
SWE Leading Members January 2020: Siva Heading link
Preferred Name and Pronouns:
Siva Sreedhar
(she/her/hers)
Where are you from?
Elmhurst, IL
What is your major/year?
Sophomore in Chemical Engineering
Why did you decide to major in engineering?
“I loved math, physics, and chem in high school, so chemical engineering just seemed to be the perfect combination of the three!”
Do you have any hobbies?
Lifting and baking
SWE Leading Members January 2020: Stephanie Heading link
Preferred Name and Pronouns
Stephanie Flores
(she/her/hers)
Where are you from?
Aurora, IL
What is your major/year?
Junior in Mechanical Engineering
Why did you decide to major in engineering?
“Besides my passion for math and science, it’s the impact and countless opportunities that engineering offers that has led me towards Mechanical Engineering. Taking part in making a difference in a changing society on a large or small scale while taking on challenges is what has inspired me to follow my career path.”
Do you have any hobbies?
Listening to GOOD music, drawing portraits, and watching documentaries/movies
SWE Leading Member February 2020: Noemi Heading link
Preferred Name:
Noemi, she/her/hers
Where are you from?
I am originally from Romania with hungarian ethnicity. The reason for this is that I grew up in Romania in a Hungarian family. It is like when a family lives in the US: they learn to speak English, but they also try to keep their mother tongue. My family moved to the states when I was 15 years old. I currently live in Morton Grove and I commute every day.
Major/year:
Computer Science, Sophomore year
Why did I decide to major in engineering?
I was good at math in school and using my creativity for the greater good seemed to be the driving force of my life. Through Computer Science, I can think and create at the same time, while making the world a better place!
Hobbies and Interests Outside of School:
I absolutely love to learn, so I am trying to keep up with the 4 languages I speak. That is partly why I am intending to minor in Germanic Studies, so I can perfect my German skills next to Hungarian, Romanian and English, and maybe pick up a fifth language in the future!
In my free time, I enjoy being a scout leader at ‘Hunyadi Mátyás Scout Troop 19’, a Hungarian scout organization that supports the beliefs of boy scouts, as well as Hungarian culture.
As in my alone time, you can catch me thinking about the meaning of life or appreciating the little things, like train rides, the sound of the city, and the beautiful buildings in Chicago!