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Leading the Future of WaterThe WAVE Program engages students and emerging professionals from diverse backgrounds in the water industry through a series of skills-building workshops and attendance at the PNCWA Annual Conference, with the goal of empowering participants to contribute to the future of water through creating a sense of belonging, developing skills, and opportunities. The program consists of a six-part workshop series focusing on the water/wastewater industry, networking, skills development, employment opportunities, and professional presentation experiences. WAVE participants have a unique opportunity to learn from water and wastewater leaders across the Pacific Northwest, practicing critical leadership and communication skills, and developing a strong network of peers and mentors over the course of the year, culminating in presentations at the PNCWA Annual Conference.
2024 WAVE Cohort at the PNCWA Annual Conference in Boise, Idaho Participate in WAVE!WAVE Program applications open each fall, and applicants are notified in December. Workshops are scheduled approximately monthly from January-August each year, with the program culminating with WAVE presentations and program ceremony at the PNCWA Annual Conference. The program is open to emerging professionals (less than 2 years in the water industry) and undergraduate/graduate students pursuing a career in the water industry. We strive to create a diverse cohort of engineers, planners, scientists, operators, apprentices, communicators, and more! This is a great way to learn more about what makes PNCWA and our industry so rewarding and exciting! WAVE Flyer
Contact Juliana Andrade for more information!
Support WAVE!We are offering PNCWA members and organizations the opportunity to further the future of water by sponsoring the WAVE cohort’s attendance at the PNCWA Annual Conference! We hope to foster a connection between current members and these emerging professionals. Donors will be invited to celebrate the participants at the WAVE closing ceremony at the conference.
Thank you to all of our 2024 WAVE Cohort sponsors! We were able to fundraise over $4,000 to support the future leaders in our industry!
Support WAVE
Program BackgroundThe WAVE Program was initially launched as InFLOW (Introducing Future Leaders to Opportunities in Water) by PNCWA in 2019, modeled after the WEF program. The goal of InFLOW was to engage underrepresented groups in the form of sponsorship to attend the annual conference and the initial cohort sent 11 participants to PNCWA2019 in Portland, OR. Building off the successes and lessons learned, PNCWA continued in its mission to empower future leaders of the water industry and build a more diverse and inclusive world. Since 2019, the program has continued to grow and evolve, rebranding in 2023 to the WAVE Program. WAVE sent a cohort of 15 participants to the Annual Conference in Tacoma, WA in 2023 and a cohort of 12 to the Annual Conference in Boise, ID in 2024. Keep up with WAVE Blog posts!
Here's What Participants Say About the Program:
“Taking my first step transitioning from academia to industry through PNCWA's WAVE program was such an invaluable experience. I was impressed by the friendliness of all the people and truly revitalized by the open heart for cooperation and knowledge-sharing between the companies and the people in this industry.” – “Jacky” Chen Xu “The PNCWA Conference was the first professional conference I attended, and I was very honored to be part of this with the WAVE cohort. It was a unique experience seeing how many people in our community care about having clean water for future generations and this was also a very fun opportunity to network with no pressure.” – Francisco Jimenez III
The WAVE program was a great opportunity to build connections within the PNCWA community. At the conference, it was very rewarding to be at the table with experienced professionals in the water industry and not only learn from them but also have our voices heard. I hope to continue to be a part of the PNCWA community and help future WAVE cohorts.” – Anukriti Shah
Past WAVE/InFLOW Participants 2024 WAVE Cohort in Boise, ID
 2023 WAVE Cohort in Tacoma, WA
 2022 InFLOW Cohort in Spokane, WA
WAVE CommitteeThe WAVE Program Committee manages applications, organizes program workshops, and conference travel coordination, as well as supports the WAVE cohort participants throughout the year. The WAVE program is a PNCWA initiative that strives to identify promising students and young professionals from underrepresented backgrounds who are interested in careers in the water industry. By joining this committee, you’ll have the opportunity to meet the next generation of our workforce and share your knowledge to help provide a seamless transition into the industry for our future leaders! |
