Background: The Draw-A-Picture test is a research tool used to study children’s mental models of society, gender biases, and stereotypes. Its simplicity and straightforwardness allow for the analysis of differences across cultural contexts, age groups, and cognitive abilities, providing a nuanced understanding of societal dynamics over time. Objective: The purpose of this research is to understand how effectively the Draw-A-Software-Engineer Test (DASET) is able to collect university students’ imagery and expectations towards software engineering figures and to explore how their perceptions influence their views of the field. Method: We conducted an investigation that lasted one hour and involved nine university students from an SE course. Participants were asked to draw a software engineer representing a scenario and to answer a questionnaire providing a descriptive analysis of their artifact. Mixed-methods data analysis was conducted by using a coding scheme for drawings and thematic analysis for the open-ended questionnaire. Results: The study shows that students effectively represent their mental models using drawings and text descriptions and that their representation often portrays their own identity as students in the software engineering field. The preliminary results confirmed that students are able to recognize stereotypes of the field and their implications. Conclusion: The DASET study demonstrates its utility as an effective tool for illustrating the cognitive frameworks of stereotypes among adults, especially when paired with a clear description of the artifacts. The researchers aim to delve deeper into the potential applications of this research instrument in examining students’ self-perceptions of their identity within the realm of software engineering.