Bethany Danley, junior in electrical engineering, didn’t start her college career at Iowa State, but she has found her home with Cyclone Engineering. When Danley first transferred, she knew she needed to find a community to support her through challenges.
“When I took my first engineering class in middle school, I was the only girl in there. It had me seriously thinking, ‘how badly do I really want to do this?’
So, when I got to Iowa State and WiSE – Program for Women in Science and Engineering – reached out, I knew that was something I needed to join. Having a group of people with shared experiences is vital to finding community in a new place.
With WiSE I was able to make friends and grow in my leadership skills.
Because of what WiSE was able to give me, I got involved with leadership. I am now the co-leader of the WiSE transfer group helping women new to Iowa State find their footing and helping them build their own community.
I also was able to get involved as a Student Role Model with WiSE. As a Student Role Model, I get the opportunity to work with K-12 students all over the state of Iowa and do STEM activities with them. I can help inspire younger students that they can pursue a career in STEM.
I’ve also found a community in my sorority, Alpha Sigma Kappa Women in Technical Studies, to support me through my journey at Iowa State.
Alpha Sigma Kappa really gave me the opportunity to get some of the experiences that I may have missed out on since I wasn’t here my first year. I have been able to jump in and hold three different leadership positions. I am their sisterhood, social, and co-traditions chair.
I was able to find friends which helped me to deepen my community and find more people with shared interests. So much of the college experience is academic but it’s about also making those lifelong friendships, especially as a transfer student.”
Interested in getting involved WiSE? Check out what WiSE has to offer Cyclone Engineers.