2017-2018 Wildflower Fund Recipients
In 2017-18, we distributed $53,000 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.
Some of our 2018 Scholarship recipients at the Wildflower Run with Dr. Kathleen Rose, President of Gavilan Community College
| Julia Arenas | Central High School | Cosmetology / Business | |
| Ariana Berumen | Live Oak High School | Sociology & Education | |
| Valery Coritreros | Live Oak High School | Sociology | |
| Jenna Fields | Ann Sobrato High School | Agriculture | |
| Lyssa Fuentes | Live Oak High School | Political Science / Law | |
| Kelsy Pike | Ann Sobrato High School | Nursing | |
| Anmol Sandher | Ann Sobrato High School | Neuroscience | |
| Arabella Williams | Live Oak High School | Biology |
Provide “Re-Entry Scholarships” to local women reentering college after a gap in their education.
| Anita Alvarez | Gavilan Community College | Psychology |
| Michelle Castro | Gavilan Community College | Spanish & Communications |
| Diana Ochoa Zapata | Gavilan Community College | Business |
Three of our seven Gavilan Re-Entry and Healthcare Profession Scholarship recipients
Provide “Lauren Jenkins Healthcare Profession Scholarships” to college students from Morgan Hill who are pursuing a degree in a healthcare profession.
| Rebecca Ayala | Gavilan Community College | Nursing |
| Paulina Beltran | Gavilan Community College | Nursing |
| Maria Marin Navarrete | Gavilan Community College | Nursing |
| Rosemary Sanchez | Gavilan Community College | Nursing |
Provide supplemental Keeping In Touch (KIT) grants to previous scholarship recipients to support them as they continue in their field of study.
| Jordyne Atkins | Agricultural Business | |
| Michaela Austin | UC Santa Barbara | |
| Lindsay Baker | Nursing | |
| Jacquelyn Cook | Gavilan Community College | Nursing |
| Diana Fuentes | San Jose State University | Sociology |
| Raya Kavosh | Political Science | |
| Shelby McDonald | California Baptist University | Sociology |
| Shannon Mortela | CSU Monterey Bay | Social Work |
| Lydia Riojas | San Jose State University | Business Administration |
| Lifen Shi | Bio-Engineering | |
| Melissa Vasquez | UC Santa Barbara | Physical Therapy |
| Tiffany Ziegelman | Gavilan Community College | Dental Hygienist |
Sponsor a college student from Morgan Hill to participate in NCCWSL (National Conference for College Women Student Leaders), an annual national leadership conference for college women. Funding includes travel expenses plus conference registration.
| Julianna Cisneros | Gavilan Community College | Administrative Justice |
NEW in 2018: Provide funding and mentorship for local teens to host an all-day Future Women Leaders Conference, open to local high school and college students.
Conference attendees (with student organizers in the front)
Provide Community Action Grants to local non-profit organizations for projects whose goals are consistent with AAUW’s mission.
| Community Closet, St. Catherine Parish | Backpacks and supplies for preschoolers and kinders |
| Learning and Loving Education Center | Supplies for Literacy for Immigrant Women writing program |
| BookSmart Community Advantage Gift of Reading | Books for under-served youth |
| Discovery Counseling Center | Bold Journey (youth mentoring) for MHUSD elementary school students |
| South Valley Science Fair | Monetary awards for winners |
| Future Women’s Leadership Conference | Partial funding for leadership skills conference for 100 high school and community college students |
| Yearbook Club, El Toro Health Science Academy | Tablets for photography and yearbook design |
Support Girls Engaged in Math and Science (GEMS), a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) after-school enrichment program, sponsored by AAUW Morgan Hill and consisting 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 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.
| Shria Bulusu (1st) | Oakwood School |
| Tiffany La (2nd) | Ann Sobrato High 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.
2018 Tech Trek Campers helping at the Wildflower Run
| Iris Chiang | Jackson Academy of Math & Music |
| Isabella Niebla | Britton Middle School |
| Citlali Flores-Regalado | San Martin/Gwinn Environmental Science Academy |
| Ria Deshpande | Britton Middle School |
| Jacquelyn Lopez-Serrano | San Martin/Gwinn Environmental Science Academy |
| Samantha Sasaki | Charter School of Morgan Hill |
| Lavenia Turagovou | Martin Murphy Middle School |
| Madeline Marie Johnson | Martin Murphy Middle School |
| Melina Kwarcinski (Alt #1) | Martin Murphy Middle School |
| Morgyn Tilton (Alt #2) | San Martin/Gwinn Environmental Science Academy |
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.
Sponsor branch participation in the Leadership Morgan Hill class of 2018.
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Suman Ganapathy | AAUW Morgan Hill branch member |
Offer to local high school students, in collaboration with Anaerobe Systems, a “Lauren Jenkins STEM Workshop”, funded through individual donations in memory of AAUW member, geneticist, and GEMS founder Dr. Lauren Jenkins.
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.
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Alani Hicks-Bartlett | UC Berkeley | Postdoctoral, Political Science/Romance Languages/Gender Studies/Disability Studies |
The Cure Gone Awry. Gender, Dis.ability, and the Ailing Empire |
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