2020 William Muir Edwards Citizenship Award: Willow Dew

Willow Dew is deeply invested in the success of others. In every aspect of her academic and personal life, she consistently steps up to advocate, volunteer, recruit, lead and make a difference in the lives of everyone around her.

Fostering community is one of Dew’s strengths, evident in the many leadership roles she has taken on throughout her journey.

Prior to and during her undergraduate program in chemical engineering, Dew played cello with the Edmonton Youth Orchestra though is equally adept at trumpet, ballet and jazz dance. Her involvement with the arts crossed over into her academic studies when she served as financial chair of the 2018 Engineering Art Show, a two-week long celebration showcasing the multidimensional side of the engineering community.

As VP Academic Affairs and Services in the Engineering Students’ Society (ESS), Dew focused on planning and implementing events to bolster student success. In this role, she also coordinated the Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) program, supervised ESS mental health initiatives, and coordinated professional development opportunities.

With the support of the faculty, Dew established a recognition program for ESS mentors.

“This demonstrates many things,” says faculty vice-dean Jason Carey. “First, that Willow has the leadership skills and the ideas to motivate and inspire her peers to accomplish more; that it is important for her to recognize the efforts of others in these joint efforts; and that she leads positive changes in her community.”

Dew served in a variety of roles with the U of A’s EcoCar team, becoming project manager in 2019. She says much of the focus as a team is around education. “We aim to show the public how a group of undergraduate students with little experience can develop technologies with the potential to change the world.”

Dew also undertook community outreach activities in areas related to sustainability, as well as outreach on behalf of the Faculty of Engineering through events such as the Student Sustainability Summit, APEGA Science Olympics, UAlberta Energy Week, and STEM conferences for high school students and classroom presentations via DiscoverE and USchool, a program on campus for students from socially vulnerable communities.

“It’s an amazing diversity of leadership activities,” says Dave Rumbold, a U of A engineering alumni who first met Dew through his involvement with the Edmonton Youth Orchestra. “Willow has proven time and again her willingness to create positive change in the lives of others. I can say without reservation her record of service is without peer. She’s already making a significant positive impact in our community and is well on her way to making a real difference in the world.”

Outside of campus, Dew was involved with the Francophonie Albertaine Plurielle (FRAP), which assists new immigrants and facilitates their integration into the community. As a volunteer, she tutored junior high students in their after-school program.

“There are many challenges associated with being a new immigrant in this country, especially when the majority language is different from their own,” she says. “I was motivated to aid in alleviating some of these stresses by assisting students in their transition to the Alberta school system.”

Her exemplary efforts as a volunteer and leader have been recognized with numerous awards including the Ernie J Zelinski Award for Individual Creativity, the Leonard Swanson Leadership Award, the University of Alberta Max Wyman Entrance Leadership Scholarship, the Premier's Citizenship Award, the Order of the White Rose, and the William Muir Edwards Citizenship Award.

“Using one’s leadership abilities to help others allows us to make a tangible positive effect on our community,” says Dew. “It further improves our own leadership skills such that we can continue to make greater impacts in the future.”

Named in honour of the Faculty of Engineering’s founding professor, the William Muir Edwards Citizenship Award recognizes Engineering at Alberta undergraduate students who have made exceptional contributions to society. It’s a celebration of citizenship and of engineering students who go to extraordinary lengths to make our world a better place. Special thanks to the David Morris Family Foundation for supporting our students and making the William Muir Edwards Citizenship Awards possible.

Do you know an undergraduate student whose volunteerism, contributions, and efforts, both on-campus and off-campus, work to make the world a better place? Learn more about the nomination process here.