The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) was founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1974 by a group of engineers employed by the city of Los Angeles. Their objective was to form a national organization of professional engineers to serve as role models in the Hispanic community.

The concept of Networking was the key basis for the organization. SHPE quickly established two student chapters to begin the network that would grow to encompass the nation as well as reach countries outside the United States. Today, SHPE enjoys a strong but independent network of professional and student chapters throughout the nation.

Similar to that of National SHPE Drexel Chapter of SHPE was founded by a group of students in all varies of engineering who wanted to create an organization that fostered the Hispanic community in the university in addition to creating networks between the their members and corporations. There final objective was to create an organization that educated people about the Hispanic community and that networked between all students with unique backgrounds of their own.

Going into its fourteenth year of operation, the Drexel University Student Chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) continues to grow from its four founders in 1992 to over 65 registered members from various majors outside of engineering and backgrounds not limited to Hispanic descent.

In fulfilling our mission, we have received recognition including hosting the 1999 Region IV (East Coast) Student Leadership Conference, being named 1998-1999 and 2000-2001 Student Organization of the Year at Drexel, 1998-1999 Student Chapter of the year for Region IV of SHPE, and most notably being recently honored as the 2002 National Chapter of the Year-the highest honor that can be bestowed by the organization to a local chapter