2016-2017 Wildflower Fund Recipients

In 2016-17, we distributed $49,000 from the Wildflower Fund (Wildflower Run registrations, corporate sponsorships, and individual donations) in support of education and equity for women and girls. Funds raised were allocated to the following:

Provide scholarships to high school girls graduating from Morgan Hill Unified School District (MHUSD) schools.

Scholarship recipients and award winners helping at the 2017 Wildflower Run

Name High School College Major or Field of Study
Jordan Atkins Ann Sobrato High School Agricultural Business
Lindsay Baker Live Oak High school Nursing
Raya Kavosh Ann Sobrato High School Political Science
Kaylee Messina Live Oak High School Nursing
Eunice Moreno Central High School Gavilan College Criminal Justice
Xochitl Santiago Ann Sobrato High School UC Berkeley Biology
Rachel Sjostedt Live Oak High School Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Aerospace Engineering

Provide “Re-Entry Scholarships” to local women reentering college after a gap in their education.

Name College Major or Field of Study
Mia Lugo Gavilan College

Provide “Lauren Jenkins Healthcare Profession Scholarships” to college students from Morgan Hill who are pursuing a degree in a healthcare profession.

Name College Major or Field of Study
Michelle Nguyen University of Alabama Pre-med
Tiffany Ziegelman Gavilan College Dental Hygienist

Provide supplemental Keeping In Touch (KIT) grants to previous scholarship recipients to support them as they continue in their field of study.

Name College Major or Field of Study
Jacquelyn Cook Gavilan College Registered Nursing
Julia Leal Stanford University Earth Systems
Shelby McDonald California Baptist University Sociology
Shannon Mortela CSU Monterey Bay Social Work
Naromy Ramirez San Jose State
Child & Adolescent Development
Lydia Riojas San Jose State Business Administration
Heather Sjostedt Savannah College of Art & Design Visual Effects & Animation
Whitney Waller CSU Sacramento
Psychology
Diana Valderrama San Jose State Sociology
Melissa Vasquez UC Santa Barbara Physical Therapy

Sponsor a college student from Morgan Hill to participate in NCCWSL (National Conference for College Women Student Leaders).

NCCWSL is an annual national leadership conference for college women. Funding includes travel expenses plus conference registration.

Michaela Austin
UC Santa Barbara

Provide Community Action Grants to local non-profit organizations for projects whose goals are consistent with AAUW’s mission.

Learning and Loving Education Center Supplies for advanced ESL class
Central High School Chef’s Garden
San Martin Gwinn Home & School Club Mariachi music program
Discovery Counseling Center Bold Journey (youth mentoring) for MHUSD elementary school students

Support Girls Engaged in Math and Science (GEMS), a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) after-school enrichment program.

GEMS is sponsored by AAUW Morgan Hill and consists of monthly field trips, lectures, and other programs. GEMS is free and open to all girls in the Morgan Hill Unified School District in grades 8 through 12.

Sponsor branch participation in the Leadership Morgan Hill class of 2017.

Sponsor a local speech competition as part of Speech Trek, a state-wide AAUW program.

First, second, and third place winners each received cash prizes. Our first place winner also went on to win the state contest.

Nikhita Gopisetty (1st) Oakwood School
Arnav Singh (2nd) Oakwood School
Sofia Rustor (3rd) Oakwood School

Provide scholarships to send MHUSD Middle School students to Tech Trek, an AAUW-sponsored one week math and science summer camp at Stanford University for middle school girls.

Tech Trek campers helping at the 2017 Wildflower Run

Sofia Aliamus Martin Murphy Middle School
Aly Centers Martin Murphy Middle School
Claire Harman Charter School of Morgan Hill
Megan Jones Charter School of Morgan Hill
Diya Kandhra Britton Middle School
Sydney Mudrak (Alternate #1) Charter School of Morgan Hill
Molly Orman (Alternate #2) Martin Murphy Middle School
Tejal Oza Charter School of Morgan Hill
Makayla Phea Charter School of Morgan Hill
Gelasia Tiwana Britton Middle School

Provide an additional lump sum grant to the Tech Trek camp at Stanford University.

Uses may include extra capital needs such as technology upgrades or additional enrichment such as more field trips.

Offer a “Lauren Jenkins STEM Workshop” to local high school students.

This workshop is funded through individual donations in memory of AAUW member, geneticist, and GEMS founder Dr. Lauren Jenkins and is offered in collaboration with Anaerobe Systems.

Underwrite national AAUW priorities. These include graduate fellowships for women, community action grants, pioneering research, public policy advocacy, legal advocacy, and leadership programs.

Add to our “Morgan Hill Wildflower Run Research and Projects Grant Endowment.”

This $75,000 endowment was established in 2014, to be funded by proceeds from the Wildflower Run. When completed, the endowment will support community action and career development grants.

Another branch endowment, the $100,000 Blaine/Cate Endowment for Graduate Fellowships (#1802) was completed in 2001. It funds an annual graduate or postgraduate fellowship.

Elizabeth Hare UC Santa Cruz Ph.D. Cultural anthropology Making history with Science: the future of environmental protection in the American Midwest


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