Branch awards $15,000 in scholarships for coming year By Cathy Locke

Five women have been selected to receive a total of $15,000 in scholarships from AAUW Sacramento for the 2023-24 academic year.

We received 11 applications this year. After reviewing the applications, the scholarship committee selected seven finalists to participate in interviews on Zoom. We had a strong pool of candidates with compelling needs, making the final selection process particularly difficult.  Thanks to the generosity of our members and friends, we are able to award scholarships in the amount of $3,000 each to Elizabeth Adam, Erin Gottis, Nichole Overbay, Wahida Rasoli and Natalia Safi.

Elizabeth Adam, 40, is studying anthropology and economics at UC Davis. She previously received a branch scholarship in 2020-21, when she was a student at American River College and a member of AAUW’s campus affiliate. She served as president of AAUW@ARC before transferring to UC Davis in fall 2022.  She currently works as a student contracting trainee with the US Geological Survey in Sacramento and has a 12-year-old son.

Erin Gottis, 42, is majoring in graphic design at Sacramento City College. After working for 20 years in special education and with students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, she decided to pursue her dream of working in an art-related field. As the parent of a child with a chronic medical disability, Erin said she hopes to use her graphic design skills to “contribute to the advancement of marginalized groups in my community.”

Nichole Overbay, 30, was selected to receive our scholarship for a second year. She transferred to CSUS in January. She is pursuing a degree in exercise science with the goal of becoming a physical therapist. Her interest in the field grew out of her own experiences recovering from serious injuries she suffered in a vehicle accident when she was 17. She is expecting her third child this fall and said she has arranged to take classes online so as not to interrupt her education.

Wahida Rasoli, 32, is majoring in Asian studies at CSUS after completing her associate degree in social justice and ethnic studies at American River College in 2022. She immigrated to the United States from Afghanistan in 2018. She worked for women’s and children’s rights in Afghanistan, where she held positions with human rights and civil society organizations. Since coming to the US, she has worked with the International Rescue Committee as an interpreter to help new immigrants get settled. Her career goal, she said, is to become an advocate for human rights and women’s rights. She has three children.

Natalia Safi, 50, also is a recent immigrant, coming to the United States from Ukraine in 2019. She is majoring in business administration at American River College and plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the field. Natalia said she would like to work in business management and possibly start her own business. She has two daughters, ages 11 and 16. “As an immigrant and non-native speaker of English, I understand the challenges of pursuing higher education in a foreign language,” she said. “However, I am determined to overcome these challenges and succeed in my academic pursuits.”

We look forward to hearing from the recipients during a branch meeting this fall.

Again, we thank branch members for your ongoing support of the scholarship program through regular contributions, memorial gifts and bequests.