Scholarships Awarded by Danville-Alamo-Walnut Creek (DAW) branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW)

(PHOTO) Left to Right: Robin Fife, mother, accepting for her daughter, Melissa Fife, Sydney Corona, Anna Vojvoda, Erin Delker, and, not present, Rebecca Medwedeff. Photo courtesy of Susan Mann, Event Photographer

On June 8, 2017 the Danville-Alamo-Walnut Creek (DAW) branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) awarded $2500.00 scholarships each to five deserving students from the San Ramon Valley School District.

For close to 40 years DAW-AAUW has been awarding local scholarships to women who plan to pursue post-graduate degrees. Funds are raised in a variety of ways but primarily through member donations and revenue generated from their annual Holiday Home Tour.

The five outstanding scholarship recipients for 2017 are:

Sydney Corona has always been motivated by challenges, and when she was a chemistry student in high school she found a field of study that inspired her and that she loved. She graduated from Monte Vista High School in 2012 and went on to complete a BS in Chemistry with a math minor at St. Mary’s College in 2016. She is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Materials Science at the California Institute of Technology.

Erin Delker is currently earning her PhD in Public Health at UCSD-SDSU jointly. She graduated from San Ramon Valley High School in 2007 and George Washington University in 2011. Her primary career goal is to be an independent investigator conducting research on the social determinants of health. Her research so far has provided her with a deep understanding of epidemiology methods, and she plans to use her skills to continue to address how early life experiences, particularly related to stress, lead to health problems later in life.

Melissa Fife earned a degree from Utah State University in Communicative Disorders in 2016. A graduated from San Ramon Valley High School in 2012, she is currently enrolled in a Master’s Program at the University of Utah. Melissa is passionate about the Speech-Language Pathology field and is working with behavior analysts at a research lab in Utah. She is also a clinician at a multidisciplinary center for people with autism.

Rebecca Medwedeff always knew she wanted to become an art therapist. A 2012 graduate from Monte Vista High School she is pursuing a BA in Art and a Minor in Psychology from Marylhurst University. After graduation she plans to go on to Drexel University to complete her goal of receiving a Masters in Art Therapy. She passionately believes that the art community and theater in particular can provide at-risk youth “with the opportunity they need to succeed, and the support of a compassionate structure they may otherwise lack.”

Anna Vojvoda, a graduate of San Ramon Valley High School in 2015, is a second year Electrical Engineering student at Cal Poly. She plans to complete her BS in Electrical Engineering in four years as well as study abroad at a Cal Poly partner institution in Munich, Germany in her junior year. She is currently very involved in the SWE (Society of Women Engineers) as a board member and the Outreach Chairperson. She plans to use her scholarship to help cover her tuition and living expenses while she is studying in Germany.

For more information: http://daw-ca.aauw.net/2017-scholarship/