As a freshman, Elise Gan was denied the opportunity to cover sports for The Daily Iowan. Now, as a junior, she is a national scholarship winner for the Association for Women in Sports Media.

Gan, a JMC and SMC double major from Northbrook, Illinois, was recently named a 2026 AWSM (pronounced “awesome”) Scholar. Only five other collegiate women across the country were given this award. 

The Association for Women in Sports Media is an organization not just for women, but for those of any gender who want to uplift and promote the advancement of women in sports media. Nationally, AWSM supports its members through internship opportunities, networking, mentorship, and social events.

The award constitutes a $1,250 scholarship, a one-year AWSM membership, one-on-one guidance from AWSM mentors, and additional professional development opportunities.

Gan, the co-communications chair for Iowa’s chapter of AWSM, saw the scholarship promoted on the national AWSM's Instagram last fall and decided to apply. She didn’t know how selective it was until she realized only five others had won alongside her.

Companies like ESPN, The LA Times, Major League Baseball and The Chicago Tribune reached out to Gan to congratulate her on winning the scholarship.

“[AWSM] took my application, and they sent it to all these places, which I didn’t know about,” said Gan. “I thought I was just going for some money, but apparently, they send your resume to all these internship places and opportunities.”

Gan says she was glad to “get her foot in the door” with these major sports companies through the scholarship.

The application required the submission of a 500-word letter, where the applicant explained their experience as a woman in sports media and stated why they wanted the award. Gan used her letter as a chance to tell her story of overcoming gender bias during her early years of reporting for The Daily Iowan.

“I was actually forbidden from sports my freshman year, and I thought that was normal,” said Gan. “I was like, 'Okay. I’ll just work my way into sports.' Whatever. But then a guy in my year joins three months after me. He gets right into sports.”

When Gan confronted the assistant sports director, she asked him what the male reporter had that she didn’t. He responded that their sports director had looked at the male reporter and said he looked like he knew what he was doing.

“He was like, ‘Oh, I didn’t even know you were into sports,’” Gan said, talking about the assistant sports director. “I go in there, and that’s all I talk about. Like, all my outfits are sports, sports and sports. I don’t know how much more obvious I can get.”

Ultimately, Gan—who describes herself as typically non-confrontational—gave the assistant director two weeks to assign her a sports role, or she would leave The Daily Iowan. She has been reporting about University of Iowa sports ever since.

Today, Gan is the current sports director for DITV and a sports reporter for the print side of The Daily Iowan. She is also a part of KRUI—covering athletics on the radio station’s social media—and plays in the Iowa Pep Band. 

Although she has only been involved in AWSM since fall 2025, Gan said that being a part of her chapter has already enhanced her experience in sports media at the university.

“At DITV, my entire staff is boys, so I’m constantly surrounded by men—which is great. They’re like my brothers. I have a great time with them,” Gan said. “But it is such a breath of fresh air to walk into a room with girls who share my interests.”

Recently, members of AWSM attended a Milwaukee Bucks game, where they took a behind-the-scenes tour of the arena, talked to directors on the media team, and learned about how officials coordinate what is seen on the jumbotron. Gan enjoyed bonding with the other women on the trip, especially in the car on the way there and back.

AWSM has also brought Gan closer to faculty involved in sports media.

“I’ve definitely grown closer with Jen Sterling,” Gan said. “She’s the professor who runs the club, so she’s helped me tremendously. I have her in my capstone class, so it’s really nice to have that close relationship with a professor.”

Gan also highlighted how professor Wayne Drehs helped her step outside of her comfort zone during the Chicago Sports Media Experience course offered in the winter.

“I am, like, this super shelled, quiet, shy person, and he basically took me by the shoulders and pushed me in," Gan said. "He was like, ‘You’re doing this whether you like it or not.’ I cannot thank him enough for that because that has helped me grow in so many ways."

For the remainder of her time at the university, Gan wants to remain sports director of DITV and write more for print in The Daily Iowan. After graduating, her dream is to work for a Chicago sports team as a self-proclaimed “Chicago sports nutcase.”

“Whether it’s writing, reporting, something behind the scenes, social media, I don’t care,” Gan said. “I just think it would be a dream come true.”