NC State chapter of National Society of Black Engineers wins Chapter of the Year awards

The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) chapter at NC State University won two chapter awards this year at the 50th annual NSBE Convention held March 20-24 in Atlanta. Forty-seven NC State students attended, the highest number ever for the chapter.

NSBE divides its chapters into six regions. NC State’s chapter earned the Medium Chapter of the Year and overall Chapter of the Year awards in region II.

“Our chapter has put in a lot of effort this year,” said Sarah Musa, a senior computer science major who will be chapter president for the 2024-25 academic year.

Jenni Mangala, who graduated in May 2024 with a B.S. in electrical engineering and is returning to finish her master’s degree through the accelerated bachelor’s/master’s program (ABM), was chapter president for 2023-24. The chapter has grown significantly since she joined in 2020. When students returned to campus in 2021, she and other NSBE members started reaching out to their friends about joining.

Bryan Wilson, former vice-president of the chapter, was one of the people they reached. Wilson also graduated in May 2024 with a B.S. in electrical and computer engineering and is returning for his master’s degree through the ABM program.

Mangala and Wilson joined the chapter’s executive board their junior years, and the team built on previous leadership’s efforts to balance company- and networking-based meetings with fun, community-based meetings.

… it’s a sense of belonging and encouragement that you can’t really get from anywhere else.” – Jenni Mangala

The team also implemented a service requirement for students to complete in order to travel to regional and national conferences. The chapter organized events with local schools and K-12 groups.

“Building off of that community engagement inspired people to be really active in service, and then it was just this positive feedback loop where more people are coming to meetings,” Mangala said.

Chapter members were thrilled with their recognition at the convention. They even celebrated with Chancellor Randy Woodson when they happened to be on the same return flight to Raleigh.

Both Mangala and Wilson recognized the leaders who came before them. The work they’ve done to broaden NSBE’s reach is important for Black engineering students at NC State.

“Having a space where you get that encouragement, you get mutual support, but you can show up as yourself and you don’t have to put on this face and talk a certain way or act a certain way … it’s a sense of belonging and encouragement that you can’t really get from anywhere else,” Mangala said.

Wilson added that for him, it has been inspiring to see younger and older Black engineers together at NSBE conventions.

“I can never forget the impact that going to my first convention had when I went into this space of like, quite literally thousands of other Black engineers,” he said.