Cristina Martinez described the experience as valuable and empowering. Roshini Rangarajan said it was immersive and insightful. Arleen Kaur said it far exceeded expectations.

These Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering (BCOE) undergraduates were among six students who recently attended the 2025 Silicon Valley Women in Engineering Conference in San Jose. Salas O’Brien, an Irvine-based engineering and technical services firm and BCOE donor, made a gift to support the students and cover their conference expenses.

The students said attending the conference helped them link up with valuable connections and information. All said they emerged inspired and motivated by the various speakers and activities. Conference speakers included Ya Xu, vice president of research for Google DeepMind; Anahita Bhiwandiwalla, deep learning algorithms manager for NVIDIA; and Sally Benson, a professor of energy science engineering at Stanford University.

Kaur, a second-year student majoring in computer science w/ business applications, had never attended a conference. She said she went into it planning to network and learn more about industry. 

“However, I gained so much more than that,” Kaur said. “I made valuable connections, learned about resume-building and interviews, [and] learned a significant amount about the engineering industry. I also had an amazing time overall and made some new friends through it.”

Rangarajan appreciated the opportunities to network with industry professionals from different companies and participate in a mock interview workshop. She is a third-year student also majoring in computer science w/ business applications.

“Through this workshop, I was able to come away with the experience of interviewing and also insightful tips on how to ace the interview,” Rangarajan said.

She added that she broadened her knowledge by learning about the algorithms behind ChatGPT, and enjoyed being able to “meet other amazing, like-minded, driven women who are also learning and growing in their journeys, along with me.”

Xu’s speech stood out to Rangarajan.

“I loved this keynote speech so much because I was able to connect the content of what I was learning in my Introduction to AI class (CS 170),” she said. “Ya Xu spoke with passion, and she truly inspired me with her demeanor and ability to connect with the audience.”

Martinez, a third-year transfer student majoring in chemical engineering, was drawn to the conference because it focused on successful women in engineering.

“Although their paths may have [been] different, it was evident that everyone experienced the same emotions,” she said. “This experience was valuable in the sense that we weren’t just asking these engineers about their work, but about the essence [of] their empowerment and being a woman.”

The conference included plenary sessions, career panels, and an Innovation Showcase with cutting-edge technology on display.

All the students — including Dallana Salinas Figueroa and Unnati Italia, both chemical engineering majors — credited the support they received from Salas O’Brien.

“The support from Salas O’Brien means so much to me because I was able to crystallize my goals and aspirations further by seeing other strong female role models and their journey through the tech field,” said Rangarajan.

Martinez described the support as “life-changing.”

“I felt, along with the other students who attended the conference, that this opportunity allowed [us] to center our interests and learn how [to] optimize our potential,” she said. “I appreciate Salas O’Brien’s pledged funds [and] their support for our career development."

Header image: (From L-R) Engineering students Alexa Elizarraras, Dallana Salinas Figueroa, Cristina Martinez, Roshini Rangarajan, Arleen Kaur, and Unnati Italia. (All photos courtesy of the students)