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.

UC Davis Added to Branch Scholarship List By Cathy Locke

Women attending UC Davis are now eligible for AAUW Sacramento scholarships.

The branch board on Dec. 5 approved the scholarship committee’s recommendation to add UC Davis to the list of colleges that scholarship recipients may attend. Previously, we have had to turn away otherwise qualified applicants who were transferring from a Los Rios Community College campus to UC Davis. Because UCD is a public university with a major presence in the Sacramento region, it is a logical option for community college transfer students.

The branch is offering $3,000 scholarships for the 2023-24 academic year to women age 25 and older who are pursuing their first baccalaureate degree at American River College, Cosumnes River College, Folsom Lake College, Sacramento City College, California State University, Sacramento, or UC Davis. Students must be Sacramento County residents at the time of application. The number of scholarships will depend on available funds and the number of qualified applicants. The deadline for applications is March 1, 2023.

Our scholarship program is listed on the financial aid office websites for the various campuses. Information also is provided to mentoring organizations, student services centers and community groups, including Women’s Empowerment and Saint John’s Program for Real Change. We encourage branch members to assist in outreach efforts by passing along information to other organizations and individuals that might be interested in the scholarship program.

Academic and other criteria for applicants are available at https://sacramento-ca.aauw.net/programs/scholarships. Applications may be completed and supplemental materials submitted using the link on the webpage.

Prospective applicants may direct questions about the program or application process to the Scholarship Committee at aauwsacramentoscholarships@gmail.com.

Thanks to the generous support of our members, families and friends, we are assisting five women who were each awarded $3,000 scholarships for the current academic year.

Five women to receive 2022-23 scholarships By Cathy Locke, Molly Dugan and Danielle Metzinger

Five women have been selected to receive AAUW Sacramento branch scholarships to aid their educational pursuits during the 2022-23 academic year.

Only five completed applications were received this year, and after reviewing the applications and interviewing the candidates on Zoom, the Scholarship Committee agreed all five warranted our encouragement and financial support. Thanks to the generosity of our members and friends we are able to award scholarships of $3,000 each to Kamariah Alexander, Paola Mendez, Nichole Overbay, Hassina Paiman and Chelsie Williams.

Kamariah Alexander, 31, is a political science major at American River College. She is a single mother with a 3-year-old son and is employed as a legal file clerk. Her job, she said, has inspired her interest in pursuing a law degree. “Being a single mother and a full-time student, all while being employed full time is difficult,” she said. “I have the greatest motivation in the world to keep going, and that is my son.”

Paola Mendez, 26, transferred from East Los Angeles College to California State University, Sacramento, this spring. She is majoring in political science and journalism. She hopes to work in public policy development, particularly policies to aid people who are homeless, or as a journalist covering public policy. Noting that her family experienced homelessness when she was growing up, Paola said, “My life has been surrounded by grief and loss as well as by wants and needs, but being so close to the homeless community has put my own life into perspective. I now strive to become a voice for all those people. I want to be the blessing that I wish I would have had in my childhood.”

Nichole Overbay, 29, is raising two children and majoring in kinesiology at American River College. “My dream has been to become a physical therapist since a car accident left me very incapacitated at 17, yet lucky to be alive,” she said. “I was greatly impacted by my physical therapist, who gave me incredible hope for my future in my very first meeting with him. I will never forget the life that he gave back to me that day, and I hope to give someone, even one person, that kind of hope to heal and live one day.”

Hassina Paiman, 35, has been selected to receive our scholarship for a second year. She is a nursing major at Folsom Lake College and mother of three children. Hassina came to the United States from Afghanistan. “I worked with the American Embassy in Afghanistan, which was dangerous for women, and the job had to be kept secret for myself and my family’s safety,” she said. In addition to her studies, she has served as an ESL tutor at Folsom Lake College. She hopes to combine a nursing degree with her interest in business to work in the finance and management sector of the medical field.

Chelsie Williams, 33, is majoring in biological sciences at Sacramento City College. Her grandmother’s struggles with memory loss sparked Chelsie’s interest in researching neurodegenerative diseases. She said she also is passionate about art and would like to pursue a career as a biological illustrator. “I want to unlock the depth that I believe scientific illustrations can and should project,” she said.

We look forward to hearing from each of the recipients during a virtual or in-person meeting this fall.

Our thanks to branch members for your generous support of the scholarship program through regular contributions, memorial gift and bequests.