Your Piece in The Puzzle

School is back in session here at Ohio State, and we are so excited to see what this year ahead of us holds! If you’re new here, we are the Society of Women Engineers. Our purpose is to empower women to advocate for themselves, promote diversity, and achieve their full potential as engineers and leaders. Every woman has a voice, and you have the right to use it. First off, let me introduce you to the voices behind this blog and The Steminist Podcast!

Insta: @lydia.dunkle

My name is Lydia Dunkle, and I am a 2nd year Mechanical Engineering major pursuing a minor in Humanitarian Engineering! I am from Cincinnati, OH. Outside of SWE, I am also actively involved in Humanitarian Engineering Scholars. Some of my favorite things to do are read, watch movies, spend time outside, scrapbook, and spend all of my money on concert tickets!

Insta: @lilyobert_

My name is Lily Obert, and I am a 3rd year Electrical & Computer Engineering major pursuing a minor in Music, Media, and Enterprise! I am from Akron, OH. Besides SWE, I am involved in IEEE, and the Music Industry Club. A few of my hobbies/interests are going to concerts, swimming, reading, and watching movies!

At Ohio State, you’ll be able to find your perfect fit. Everyone here is unique, and are their own “piece of the puzzle”. As you probably know, each puzzle piece is a different shape, no two the same. Finding your spot may be difficult, and it may take a little while — some will find it immediately, but others may have to explore further. In the end, you will find your perfect fit at this university — I promise you. Here’s a couple of tips that might help you!

1. Join clubs related to your major/minor. This is a sure way to meet and make friends with people who may be in the same or similar major as you. This is great for a handful of reasons:

• This creates a great opportunity for study buddies! Get together with your friends to study for a midterm that might be coming up. Studies show that studying with other people can help you diversify your thoughts, and learn from different angles, which can contribute to your success.
• Helps build a great friend group! Personally, I’m friends with a lot of other female engineers who have also been through the same experiences as me. This allows us to all bond and become closer!

2. Join clubs related to your interests or hobbies! Many people have different interests or hobbies that don’t relate exactly to their major! Taking time to enjoy yourself and doing things for yourself that are not education related can provide you with the necessary brain break. The options are endless, from rec sports to art clubs! OSU has over 1,000 clubs relating to just about anything. If they don’t have your interest, get together with some friends and make one! It is almost guaranteed that other people on campus have the same interest. I also recommend trying new things that may sound intriguing to you. I went to one line dancing club meeting last year, and ended up loving it! Even if it sounds scary, remember everyone is there to have fun and meet new people too.

3. Join organizations that focus on volunteering and giving back to the community. One of the most beneficial and impactful things I have done while at OSU is community service. In Columbus, there are countless opportunities to give back. Some of the notable OSU-organized events are Buckeyethon, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, OWL ( Ohio State Welcome Leaders), and Community Engagement Day! Buckeyethon is by far the largest, and every year they raise funds for the Nationwide Children’s Hospital. It even includes a dance marathon (that Ohio State SWE participates in)!

4. Attend other various campus events! In case you live under a rock and didn’t know, OSU is HUGE! There are so many different events happening here, sometimes two are happening at the same time! I cannot stress enough how important it is to go to all of the welcome week events and other campus activities. Some of my fondest memories are going to the Buckeye Kick-Off my first week here and learning all the football chants, or watching the Wipeout Obstacle Course inside the pool! There will often be events in the Oval, and most of them will have games, free food, or even free merch!!

5. Take advantage of mental health resources if needed! Many college students struggle with mental health of all different kinds. There are many different aspects to mental health, and no two people experience the same thing. OSU offers many opportunities from clubs that focus on mental health, to counseling through the university. We will feature more opportunities regarding mental health and how you can get help in later blogs and podcasts!

Now, if you’re looking to get more involved in SWE (who wouldn’t??!!) here are a couple of tips!

1. Sign up for Big-Little to get a SWE big and family! Early in each semester, each SWE member can fill out a form to either get a Big or Little. The Big-Little Director will pair you with someone fit for you, and then there’s a big reveal event where you get to meet your SWE fam!! I absolutely LOVED my SWE Big, and she helped me navigate my first year by telling me all of the OSU and SWE hacks.
2. Join OSUSWE affinity groups! OSUSWE is lucky enough to have multiple affinity groups! These include LGBTQIA, HeforSWE and Disability inclusion. Affinity groups are a great way to join a super supportive group who share something in common with you, and build connections with other SWE members.
3. Apply for the Early Leader Ambassador Program! I cannot recommend this program enough. ELAP is a first and second year program focused around building leadership skills inside and outside of SWE! Over last year, I got to know my little four person team so well, and now we’re all friends and love to hangout or get dinner together! This program was also super helpful to learn the inner workings of SWE, and it helped me navigate a ton of great opportunities I wouldn’t have known existed otherwise.

I hope these little tips and tricks lead you to the best couple of years at OSU! Read our blogs and tune into our podcast throughout the year to hear the scoop- everything from hot topics in the engineering world, to advice on how to be your best self! We’ll be back soon, and until then, keep being your awesome self!

Love, Lydia