Floor to family

In the middle of summer, every incoming UD student receives forms they need to fill out for the coming academic year. But perhaps the most important of all appears the simplest — the incoming student housing application. 

Chloe Culp, Michaela Plante, Lianna Weaver, Isla Oesterlin, Alyssa Steinke and Kinley White, now all seniors, made one of the best selections of their lives on that first-year application: checking the box next to the WISE Floor. It was a decision that would lead these six young women to one another and a lifetime of friendship.

As STEM majors, living on the Women in Science and Engineering floor — one of UD’s Integrated Learning-Living Communities — before the start of their first year did come with a little apprehension. But, as Oesterlin put it, they each “took the chance.” 

After moving in, the six of them slowly began to settle in. Weaver and Culp’s room always had the door open and the TV on, so it became a natural gathering spot after several weeks together. Despite having friends in other residence halls across campus, the women quickly began to notice there was something different about this group.

“I realized, these are my people,” said Plante.

Not only did the young women bond over their similar studies, they quickly formed a mutual understanding about the pressure they faced as females in disciplines that are predominantly male.

Plante, who is following her mother’s footsteps by pursuing a chemical engineering degree, shared stories with her floormates her mother told her about being the only woman in her classes. 

“I felt like I had to show up for all women,” Plante said.

At Dayton, there is a notability different environment that fills the classroom walls. From the Society of Women Engineers, Phi Sigma Rho, to the WISE mentoring program, female students in STEM have significant resources and support. 

Steinke, a mechanical engineering major, found that she has never been the only woman in her classes or her department. Having a companion and a group of friends providing unwavering encouragement, she always had someone who could understand. 

White and Weaver bonded over their shared experience in the competitive environment of premedicine, where they found support in one another, rather than competition. 

“It was like a buddy system,” White said.

“I really enjoyed being surrounded by like-minded girls … [because] we all had a certain drive to really do well in our classes and also enjoy our free time in a fun and productive way.”

Some of the group’s best memories revolve around finals week. They love to study at Roesch Library together but in a way different from most involving what they call a “GAB board.” They often set a timer to lock in on their studies, but as something off-topic comes to mind, they write it down on the “GAB board” to discuss later, eventually creating a long list of topics. 

Sometimes when one of them wrote something down, together they’d look at the conversation topic and burst out laughing. The women insist the GAB board did help them commit to focused study time together (for the most part). 

Coordinator of the WISE ILLC interdisciplinary program, engineering principal lecturer Beth Hart ’91, said she hopes the program helps these young women find their own voices and support each other. And according to this particular group of six women, it does much more than that. 

“As much fun as we have and how well we mesh as a group,” Weaver said, “we really help each other grow.”

Staying up until 5 a.m., playing spoons and euchre, watching movies and creating memories during family dinners with all six girls, this group said they will know each other in a different way than anyone else will.

Hart said her most rewarding experience is getting to know her students and watching them overcome adversity.

“[They go] from not being sure to [me] seeing them fly,” she said. 

Looking forward to their last year together, they wonder how they can possibly get any closer with each other. Beyond being grateful for choosing the WISE floor, Culp, originally from Grand Rapids, said, “Michigan is just a house, Dayton is home.”

Photography by Surya Deip Reddy Kesaram '25