June 2024 Issue
A monthly forum to share diversity, equity, and inclusion resources.
Welcome to the next installment of Read.Watch.Listen. This month, for National Immigrant Heritage Month, we are spotlighting the experiences of immigrants working in the engineering profession within the United States. The resources provided this month share the stories of immigrant engineers and provide information for leaders that are interested in hiring and supporting immigrant and refugee engineers in their firms. In addition to the resources below, we encourage you to read this article entitled “Foreign Engineering Graduates in America” from STRUCTURE magazine, which summarizes the intricacies that foreign graduates must navigate to work as engineers in the United States. With the increasing demand for engineering graduates in the structural engineering profession, “foreign Engineering Graduates [may] help to fill a void of expertise, positively impacting the engineering community.”
We’re also celebrating Pride Month in June. Check out our previous post here to hear the stories of LGBTQ+ engineers and to learn ways that non-LGBTQ+ engineers can become better allies.
Read.Watch.Listen is a monthly forum hosted by the NCSEA SE3 Committee to share and promote conversations on diversity, equity and inclusion within the structural engineering profession. Each month, we will curate a series of articles, audio-visual and digital media to facilitate self-education in matters that affect our professional practice as structural engineers. Whether you choose to read, watch, or listen (or all three!), we hope you will join us in this important conversation. Missed the previous issue? Check out the NCSEA SE3 Committee News and Publication page.
Share your thoughts and/or recommended resources for the next issue at ncsea@ncsea.com.
Coming to America: Life of a (software engineer) immigrant - Medium
Carlos Arguelles shares his experience immigrating to the United States from Argentina as a teenager. He recounts the challenges he overcame including learning a new language, paying out-of-state college tuition even though he graduated from an American high school, and applying for jobs on a visa. Arguelles encourages us to reach out to our peers and coworkers who are immigrants in order to understand their journey and the difficulties they face as they navigate the immigration policies of our country.
Originally published Aug 10, 2021; Estimated Read Time - 10 min
Waiting for H1B VISA gave me depression…Struggles of making it in USA - Immigrant Talks
Omkar Jagdale posts many videos about his experience as a civil engineer and immigrant in the US on YouTube. In this video, he describes his journey getting his H1-B visa and the ups and downs he endured along the way. While the intended audience for the video is those going through the immigration process or considering going through the process, Omkar’s experience provides insights into the many challenges that can be experienced - from not getting picked in the H1-B lottery to being lied to by employers who say they will sponsor employees to the various restrictions that come with immigration status.
Originally aired Jan 25, 2023; 00:19:54
Eighty-three percent of growth in our working population is going to be immigrants and their children. How are we setting them up for success? - Good Company
Tony Goncalves and Jina Krause-Vilmar of Upwardly Global discuss their organization's mission to eliminate employment barriers for immigrant and refugee professionals in the United States. There are 2.2 million immigrants and refugees with professional backgrounds in the U.S. who are unemployed or underemployed. There are numerous industries that are struggling to hire and to diversify, including the construction industry, and immigrants and refugees can help fill those gaps. This conversation provides suggestions and resources to help hiring professionals to recruit and retain immigrant and refugee professionals.
Originally posted Oct 7, 2022, 2007; 00:29:00
This article was originally published in the June 2024 issue of NCSEA's Structural Connection newsletter. For more information, check out NCSEA's DEI Resources.
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