Engineering Leadership Scholars Program: Skills for the 21st Century Engineer

For nearly a decade, the College of Engineering has fostered leadership skills programs that enrich undergraduates’ technical prowess and meet the expectations of 21st century employers. The latest, most successful iteration is the Engineering Leadership Scholars program (ELS), managed through the CoE Undergraduate Advising Center by Rosemary Sullivan, associate director of Academic Advising.

With some 90 students at various stages in the program and cohorts of up to 25 new scholars each year, ELS is a high-impact initiative. It develops critical thinking skills through four specialized courses and through mentor relationships designed to uncover hidden strengths. Students are admitted into ELS during the winter term of their first year.

Over 500 students have been involved in the programs—either as mentors or mentees—throughout the past decade. ELS will graduate 15 seniors this year.

“We’ve heard from companies that say they are looking for employees who not only have the technical background and skillset that comes with a BS in engineering, but who know how to take initiative, lead a team, communicate with others, set goals, and articulate a vision,” says Jeffrey Birou, research manager for the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “The program guides students in developing these skills within themselves.”

Birou teaches the ELS capstone course EGMT 470. It immerses seniors in community-based projects for an intense leadership role as they conceptualize, execute, and complete work with a community partner. Past projects have included designing a community garden irrigation system, developing a composting program for high schools, and leading STEM tutoring workshops for K-12 students – including a full curriculum of classes.

We talked with six engineers who say their experience with ELS has been particularly rewarding, helping them burnish qualities they either lacked or were unaware they possessed. They are: Riddhi Ameser, ’20, Pennoni Honors College; Antonio Ciro, BS/MS ‘20, Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering (CAEE); Rasheem Clark, BS ’21, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics (MEM); Celine Khoo, BS ’22, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), and vice president of the Drexel Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; Adrian Mendonsa, BS ’20, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (CBE), STAR scholar and SuperNOVA Research fellow; and Mark Odorizzi, ’19 BS/MS CAEE, and current president of the Tau Beta Pi engineering honors society.

How has the program contributed to your leadership skills?

Riddhi Ameser: As we progress through college, we are constantly surrounded by like-minded individuals. However, once you step out of the college bubble, the people you interact with are often very different from you, which requires some adjustment. This program did a great job transitioning our skills from being a “big fish in a small pond” to thinking about being a “a small fish in a big pond.” They did this by first pairing us with freshmen and then with partners in the community, oftentimes in bi-lingual communities across town who had after-school programs for younger children. This is where the magic happens and where I saw myself grow the most. It challenged me to get acquainted, to interact with people of different mindsets, and to put myself in their shoes to see how I would approach the situation. It taught me that every idea can be challenged, and everything can be seen from a different perspective.

Adrian Mendonsa: Through this program, I was able to develop my interpersonal skills and my emotional intelligence. During the classes we took and the activities we did, the importance of adapting yourself and your leadership style to get the best out of the people you work with became clear. Also, through the program I got to make some amazing friends, and discover Philadelphia and the communities around it.

Mark Odorizzi: The first year of the program, I was paired with a freshman to serve as a mentor and a source of help and insight in any way that I could. Through this experience and the capstone project, I had opportunities to fill roles that pushed me out of my comfort zone and put me in situations to practice leadership skills. In addition to these opportunities, the program has a great curriculum focused specifically on mentorship and leadership that builds awareness of different attributes, personalities, and styles of leaders. Blending the course discussions and leadership opportunities has definitely built my awareness of how to react in various situations to have an effective voice and a meaningful contribution.

Rasheem Clark: I got a lot out of ELS in terms of leadership skills. Through this program, I was able to understand my strengths and utilize them in the best way possible. Knowing my strengths also allowed me to discover my weaknesses, and to think of ways to improve on them.

Antonio Ciro: ELS has provided for me a lot of what is required of an engineer but that isn't covered in either the traditional engineering curriculum or in co-op. The program gave me a chance to learn about and expand my skills as a leader. By teaching me skills and then giving me the opportunity to exercise them, the ELS program nurtured a less technical and more human set of traits, whose benefit I have observed in many other areas of my life.

Celine Khoo: I knew going into the program that I wanted to develop my leadership skills but I didn’t realize the impact it would have. The ELS program has made me more intentional with my leadership. Our discussions and coursework have made me more reflective about my leadership style and the way I look at leadership overall.

Which unexpected personal quality emerged during the mentoring sessions?

Odorizzi: I realized that “mentorship” does not need to be a strictly formal relationship. I remember meeting the freshman who I was paired with and thinking that there was nothing I needed to do to mentor him. He was academically motivated, incredibly outgoing, genuinely kind and charismatic – he didn't have any of the concerns that I was anticipating an incoming freshman would have. However, I think we formed a great relationship because it was clear that I was always available and open to talk about anything. I was able to simply build his awareness of resources and opportunities to help him continue down a successful path. I think (and hope) it was beneficial for him; I certainly derived a lot of benefit from the experience and realized that mentorship works both ways.

Clark: For me, it was my approach in communication. Normally, I would reach out to my mentees in a group-chat setting. But I noticed over time that I began reaching out to them individually, instead. It allowed me to become better connected with them and understand their needs and their personalities. I was able to adjust my methods of mentoring, something that I quite honestly didn’t know that I was capable of doing. I would like to thank my fellow ELS peers with all the collaboration sessions we shared that assisted in me realizing my unexpected quality.

Ameser: I never realized how much I loved being a “connector.” I feel like I wouldn’t be in the place I am if I didn’t have people help me or connect me with the right people or resources. Half the battle is asking for help or support, and when someone does, I make it my personal responsibility to make sure I can connect them with the right people or resources – whether that be through tutoring, clubs or extracurriculars, or even a prospective co-op company. It is incredibly rewarding to know that you’re able to help people and that sometimes it is as simple as reaching out to your network.

Ciro: During my time with the ELS program, I noticed that I strayed a bit from the pack when it came to the “textbook engineer,” in that I could more easily form connections with those I mentored or taught. Interpersonal skills have always given me something of an edge among the field of engineering students, and it was incredible to see that I could implement them to very tangibly help others. The barrier that separates formal instruction from a more profound connection is one that I was ecstatic to breach.

Please name a favorite moment or event during your time with ELS.

Ciro: My favorite moment came from our experience with Mighty Writers in South Philadelphia (a free, community-based service that provides writing instruction to area K-12 students). There, we were leading a workshop series to help young students acquire skills and knowledge in STEM areas, with an emphasis on writing skills. One of the workshops I led was about geology. I brought with me two rocks that I have, one being an intrusive igneous rock (dense) and the other being an extrusive rock (porous and light). Without giving much background information, I asked students why they thought the rocks were different, given that they came from essentially the same environment. I had to sit down and take a few breaths after Brandon, a fourth grader, piped up and explained to me very accurately why he thought one rock might be lighter than the other purely through intuition. I was witness to the connection between raw empirical observation and the leap to intuition that is critical for anyone in a STEM field. It was one of the more magical experiences of my life.

Khoo: I really enjoyed going through the StrengthsQuest assessment. As a class, we talked about how the strengths identified in our assessments factor into our leadership styles and the ways we can work together to form stronger teams. It was really interesting to see areas that we identified as being proficient in, as well as ones to improve in moving forward.

Mendonsa: Meeting my ELS mentees on campus after three years. It was amazing to see how much they have grown and achieved. It was extremely satisfying, empowering, and encouraging to see how far each one of them have come along since their freshman year. It did make me realize how old I was, but also how this program can be beneficial for both mentors and mentees alike!

Ameser: My favorite event was when we got to explore Philadelphia as both a mentee and mentor. As a mentee, I remember having to navigate around Philadelphia and feeling incredibly lost. But my mentor was able to give me some pretty good advice and tips about the city layout, transportation, and hidden neighbor gems that then gave me some much-needed confidence about exploring and taking advantage of our urban campus. So when I was the mentor watching my mentees in the same shoes, I was able to pass down the information I learned.

Odorizzi: My favorite moments in the ELS program were working with the elementary students during the capstone project. The project gave me the opportunity to work in a team and develop a STEM-related curriculum that we would deliver at the Mighty Writers center in the Italian Market. By far, showing up on the first day to Mighty Writers - with uncertainty about the exact number and age range of students we would have - was the most out-of-my-comfort-zone I have felt in ages! It was an incredibly challenging and rewarding project. For seven weeks, we would travel down to the Mighty Writers center and facilitate a two-hour workshop. It was a testament to preparing well and having a good lesson plan, but also thinking quickly on our feet to adjust if the students were not reacting as we expected. My favorite moments were when I could see the class of students completely engaged with the lesson we were giving and excited to work on the activity we developed.

How did the coursework expand your idea of what it means to be an engineering leader?

Mendonsa: A few of the courses we took highlighted the difference between a leader and a commander or captain or manager. It took me a while to realize you don’t always need to be in a position of authority to lead a team or a group – a common misconception that I, too, shared before engaging in this program.

Khoo: The coursework really expanded my understanding of what a leader looks like and what leadership encompasses. We all have ideas about leadership, but getting to refine them in a collaborative and engaging environment—like the one provided by the program—allows for a deeper understanding and awareness of how we actually act.

Clark: In my opinion, to be an engineering leader means to utilize proper decision-making skills that are fair to all parties. The coursework through the ELS program introduced me to the idea that a good engineering leader possesses different leadership styles and knows how to effectively apply each one to a different situation or environment.

Ameser: A lot of the coursework was based around self-discovery and reflection. No one is born a leader; it’s the experiences you’ve had that will shape the kind of leader you will become. With every new project or goal, the leadership needs and style change, so it’s all about being agile and knowing that as long as you work hard, reflect often, and put your team first, you can succeed as a leader, even in such a technical field as engineering.

Ciro: The coursework from the ELS program gave me valuable skills and knowledge, of course. But I think the most valuable takeaway for me was the input from my fellow engineering students. To learn from the triumphs and failures of others saves effort and enables the advancement of incredible and beautiful things. It was an honor and a privilege to learn alongside those students.