Month: February 2022

Skyler Holland is a sophomore electrical engineering major from Hampton, South Carolina.  She was born and raised in the Lowcountry and in her free time, she enjoys playing softball or tennis and going to the beach every chance she gets.  Skyler is currently in her second year at Clemson majoring in electrical engineering with a minor in biological sciences.  She hopes to work in medical research after graduating and to help people with the advancement of medicine.  Her story with PEER & WISE began in middle school when she attended Project WISE for two summers.  There, her love for electrical engineering was sparked.  She fell in love with every aspect of it and it made her curiosity grow.  After completing Project WISE, she then took several engineering courses through high school, learning the basics of SolidWorks, building circuits on breadboards, and coding.   Once getting accepted into Clemson, she was in contact with Beth Anne Johnson about becoming more involved with Project WISE.  Over her freshman year, she stayed in contact with Beth Anne and Mrs.  Serita Acker and was involved in virtual Project WISE.  The summer before her sophomore year, she applied for a work study position in the PEER & WISE office and since then it has turned into an internship.  She cherishes this internship and is so thankful for all of the great people and opportunities it has brought into her life.  Her advice for others is to never be afraid of being curious.  For her, electrical engineering sparks her curiosity and makes her want to know more.  Knowledge is ever-growing and being curious is how many inventions and innovations have been made.

Please see attached flyer below for more information:

ProTerra Flyer

We are excited to announce that registration is now open for the 2^nd Annual Women’s Roundtable Pre-Summit sponsored by Clemson University and GE that will be held on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, at the Greenville Convention Center prior to the 5^th Annual Men of Color National Summit on Thursday, April 21-22.

This year’s program will feature Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry (Maya Angelou Presidential Chair at Wake Forest University, Writer, and Host ); a panel of women leaders moderated by Jil Littlejohn Bostick (Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Winnebago Industries) featuring Lenore Pearlstein (Publisher of INSIGHT into Diversity magazine), Dr. Tonya Matthews (CEO of the African American History Museum) and more; a focus on women in STEM; and small-group roundtable conversations regarding academic, career and personal achievement.

For the most up-to-date speaker and schedule information and to register, visit the Clemson University Women’s Roundtable website here: www.clemson.edu/womensroundtable.

Preston Pettway is a sophomore industrial engineering major from Anderson, South Carolina.  He graduated T.L. High School as a two sport athlete, playing both football and basketball.  During his free time, he enjoys playing basketball, video games, and hanging out with his friends.  His older brother and father both attended Clemson University and his brother, Kendal Pettway, was also involved in PEER&WISE.  Preston participated in the PEER&WISE summer program and is also a PEER mentor presently.  His future goals are just to make a difference and be a role model for the younger generations of his family.  He wants to make the best of every opportunity presented to him and one day work a job which he loves and enjoys doing.  His advice for others is “life goes on, you may be caught in a moment but life is still going to move whether you want it to or not.”

Hello all,

In honor of black history month, PEER&WISE will be hosting an annual celebration with a special guest speaker and the CU gospel choir!  Celebrations will occur February 24th at 5pm via Zoom.  To attend, please click here.

Sydney Savage is a second-year junior bioengineering major from South Carolina.  She has a concentration in biomaterials and is the child of two proud Clemson alumni!  She has a love and passion for math and science and has always wanted a hands-on job that fueled those passions.  She wanted a career path that would allow her to interact and connect with others, where her only limitation was her imagination and creativity.  In her spare time, she also enjoys listening to music, watching television, and baking.  After graduating college, Sydney plans to join the Peace Corps for a few years to travel the world while helping others.  She then plans to take her bioengineering degree and use it to do research in the pediatric industry.  She ultimately hopes to work in the World Health Organization one day.  She has been a part of the PEER & WISE family since her senior year of high school when she attended the PEER/WISE Experience.  From there, she made connections with people who would soon shift from strangers to family.  After arriving on campus, her confidence in herself socially and academically have grown more than she ever imagined.  Since then, she has become a PEER mentor to minority students.  PEER & WISE has done nothing but accept her with open arms and allow her to thrive academically, socially, and professionally.  Her advice to other students is to never be afraid to put yourself out there.  If it’s a scholarship, apply for it.  Go to random people and make new friends.  Answer questions in class (it’s okay if you’re wrong!).  Life is too short to be full of hesitations and regrets.  Sydney also wanted to include a quote from Marianna Williamson that she feels is truly something to live by:  ” We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’  Actually, who are you not to be?  Your playing small does not serve the world…We are all meant to shine…”