Ashley Wilson, a Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division systems engineer, is one of the outstanding professionals that received a Technology Rising Star Award at the 2021 Women of Color STEM Conference.

Wilson was nominated for her technical leadership and potential for excellence, exemplified by her support of the Battle Management System Program at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division.

During high school, Wilson applied to the Science and Engineering Apprentice Program through the Office of Naval Research, where she discovered her passion for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

The Science and Engineering Apprentice Program (SEAP) places high school students with interest and ability in STEM as apprentices in Department of Defense (DoD) laboratories for eight weeks during the summer.

Wilson then participated in the Student Career Experience Program, which funded part of her education in exchange for three years of employment after graduation.

The Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) is a paid student program that provides formal periods of work and study while you are attending school.

In 2014, Wilson graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in mechanical engineering, and later earned a master’s degree in systems engineering from Old Dominion University. After her three-year employment repayment, she chose to stay and build her career at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division.

“At the end of three years, I could choose to go anywhere I wanted to but I chose to stay at Dahlgren. Since then, I’ve worked in a few departments. I really enjoy what I’m doing," she told the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division. "Receiving this award “is a testament to my personal growth, and it’s pushing me to go even further and see what other goals I can achieve for myself,” Wilson said.

The NSWCDD employs approximately 4,700 scientists, engineers, and support personnel at the Dahlgren organization.