Gala to support next generation of tech students

Students in East Carolina University’s College of Engineering and Technology are out to inspire the next generation of tech students through its STEM Fundraising Gala.

The gala, presented through the ECU chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), is scheduled for 6 p.m. March 20 at the East Carolina Heart Institute, 115 Heart Drive, Greenville.

Students will be selling STEM Fundraising Gala tickets from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Monday in the atrium of the Science and Technology Building. (Photo by Ken Buday)

This is the second year for the gala, which raises money to promote science, technology, engineering and math education at local Boys and Girls Clubs by partnering with Pitt Pirates Robotics and SWE Next. In its first year, the gala raised almost $3,500.

This year’s event carries a roaring ’20s theme and includes heavy hors d’oeuvres, a social hour, bingo, raffle, keynote speaker and live music.

Ticket sales for the event have started, and the cost is $20 for students, $35 for ECU faculty and alumni, and $40 for business leaders and others. Members of SWE will be selling tickets from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Monday in the atrium of the Science and Technology Building on campus.

Business sponsorships are available, ranging from $50 to $1,000. Business contributions for prizes such as gift cards, apparel, merchandise or other items are also being sought.

Other ECU student organizations such as Women in Tech (WIT), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Out in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (OSTEM), Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society (TBP) and Eta Kappa Nu electrical and computer engineering honor society (HKN) are also supporting the event.

Anyone interested in tickets, sponsorships or business donations can email Antonia Dingeman, ECU SWE chapter president, at dingemana16@students.ecu.edu.

-By Ken Buday