Diana Johnson | Photo by Isaac Warnecke | The Wright State Guardian
Engineers Without Borders President Diana Johnson speaks on her experience as a student leader and what it takes to be one.
History
Junior Industrial and Systems Engineering student Diana Johnson can often be seen in the Russ Engineering Building or Joshi Research where EWB holds many of its meetings.
Non-profit EWB currently supports both local projects, including Habitat for Humanity, and international engineering projects, like a water sanitation project in Uganda, within the engineering capacity.
Johnson is particularly passionate about the current international project and is set to fly to Uganda in December.
“The project is focused on St. Bakhita Secondary School. There's a lot of kids, and we’re helping with their washrooms, with their hand washing stations, and just trying to get more sanitation,” Johnson said.
However, Johnson’s leadership is not confined to EWB, as she also practices leadership as a Residential Academic Ambassador and as the secretary for Tau Beta Phi, an engineering honor society primarily focused on maintaining the grade point average of its member residents.
As a RAA, Johnson works as an in-house tutor for students in Hamilton Hall, holding office hours every week to support all fields of academia.
Previously, Johnson graced the halls of the Student Union as the student government’s Director of External Affairs, voting on important issues regarding student life on the Constitution and Bylaws Committee in addition to running SGA social media and creating flyers.
Ever since Johnson stepped onto campus as a freshman, she has taken the lead in guiding these organizations.
Experience
“I really like being involved, being in leadership roles. I really like working with people. With Engineers Without Borders, I really love that it's a volunteer organization, and I get to focus on my major, which is really cool,” Johnson said.
Johnson saw EWB and Tau Beta Phi as ways to get into the college environment and learn about the different resources while improving soft skills.
“I think I’ve definitely grown a lot,” Johnson said. “But being in these meetings and being in these roles, I’ve really grown in the sense that I’m much more confident and able to give updates and talk much easier.”
Despite these benefits, it is sometimes hard to balance the ‘student’ part of student leadership. A quick glance at Johnson’s Google Calendar would see it full of responsibilities.
“While it's important to have a balanced schedule and learn all those high management skills, which I feel I have gained from these positions, you also need time to relax,” Johnson said.
From a few hours a week to the perfect role for a busybody, there are plenty of student leader roles. To book an appointment with a student involvement mentor, visit the Student Involvement and Leadership Center’s website.
