OSU student from Worthington, receives international engineering award for women

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- An Ohio State University senior has received an international organization award.

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE), an international organization with over 40,000 members worldwide, honored Dana Gill with the "Outstanding Collegiate Member Award" out of thousands of student members who applied.

"What made me want to come to Ohio State was truly their opportunities within engineering," Gill said.

The Worthington native plays a crucial role as a leader in OSU's engineering program.

"Within the college itself of engineering, only 23 percent of our population is female, so that leaves 76 to 77 percent of it to be male, which is a very big divide," Gill said.

Gill and her fellow student leaders are trying to bridge that gap. She joined the SWE and is responsible for holding monthly member meetings on campus.

"We talk about events that are being put on, mentorship, outreach, professional development, and it's really great to see that whole community of women engineers come together every month," she said.

Every year, the SWE holds a conference that is typically attended by 15,000 members. The conference honors the top collegiate and professional women in the engineering industry. Due to the pandemic, this year's event was held virtually. Gill heard her name announced as one of the winners of the "Outstanding Collegiate Member Award" over the virtual presentation.

"It was really exciting," she said. "I am one of the only from Ohio State to ever get picked for this award."

Gill credits her advisors for inspiring her to apply.

"They are exceptional people who are there for you day in and day out, give'em a phone call and I will take their mentorship far into my career with me," she said.

Gill also gives a lot of credit to her mother, Sheila. She raised two kids without Dana's dad. He died when Gill was a young girl.

"That's where a lot of my women empowerment came from," Gill said. "I think it was from watching my mom all these years raise us."

Her family is proud of Gill's achievement.

"Being a first-generation college student, I think a lot of my accolades have been really exciting for my family, both my immediate and my extended family, so they were very excited," Gill said.