2011 AAUW Returning Scholar Grant Recipient:
Breaking through Barriers
for Women and Girls
2010 AAUW Returning Scholar Grant Recipient:
Jessica Lozano of Elmhurst is the recipient of our 2010 Returning Scholar Grant. Selected from among nine outstanding applicants, Jessica embodies the spirit of the Returning Scholar Grant as well as the goals of our Dare to Dream project. As Jessica wrote in her application, she has been pursuing a college education since 1998 while working to support herself. As the eldest daughter in a traditional Mexican-American family, she was repeatedly called upon to drop her studies and help family members in need until she “realized that the best way to help [her] family was to finish school.” With renewed determination, she achieved her first goal and earned her Associate of Arts Degree from College of DuPage in May. This fall she will enter Elmhurst College to complete her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, and she hopes to continue on to earn a masters in Library and Information Science. With the help of her AAUW grant and other financial aid, she will be able to hold full time student status while continuing to work part time. Her goal is in sight.
Funding for Jessica’s $1,000 grant came from the proceeds of our 2009 Used Book Sale. The AAUW Funds Committee will meet later this fall to allocate the earnings from this year’s sale.
2009 AAUW National Conference for College Women Student Leaders Scholarship Recipients:
Name
Laura Romero ‘10
Degree and Field
BA Spanish, Speech Pathology
Institution
Elmhurst College
Award Year
2009
“Not only did I learn about society’s influences on women but about myself. I learned that I can become anything that I want... From the [NCCWSL] experience, I was able to find a new side of myself. I have added more goals and I see even further into the future. And thanks again to all those who have helped all of us to continue our progression in society.”
Name
Carmengrace Puentes ‘12
Degree and Field
BA Nursing
Institution
Elmhurst College
Award Year
2009
“The city [Washington, DC] was so beautiful to see with my own eyes. I volunteered at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure set up, and I loved being on the National Mall, and admiring the Capital Building on one end and the Washington Memorial on the other... Thank you so much for this opportunity!!! It was more than I expected - and I loved it.”
2008 AAUW National Conference for College Women Student Leaders Scholarship Recipients:
Name
Melanie Giannosa’10
Degree and Field
BA Communications
Institution
Elmhurst College
Award Year
2008
Name
Jessica Sullivan ‘10
Degree and Field
BA Education
Institution
Elmhurst College
Award Year
2008
Sarah Burnside of Elmhurst is the recipient of this year’s Returning Scholar grant awarded by the AAUW Elmhurst Area Branch. Ms. Burnside is pursuing her Masters Degree in Library Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and expects to complete her studies in December 2011. While working on her degree, she is also employed as a Library Associate in the Kids’ Library of the Elmhurst Public Library. Her special areas of interest are early childhood and language acquisition, and her storytimes and dramatic presentations are popular with young library users as well as the hundreds of children she visits at their schools each year to promote summer reading. Funds for Ms. Burnside’s $1,000 scholarship were raised through the Branch’s popular annual Used Book Sale.
Meetings and Programs
2011 - 2012
September 14, 2011 - 6:15pm (September Supper)
Location: Angelo’s Restaurant, 247 N York St, Elmhurst, IL
October 12, 2011 - 7:00pm
Illinois Legislative Review (Speaker) AAUW Lobbyist Paula Perdue
Location: Elmhurst Public Library,
125 S Prospect
November 9, 2011 - 7:00pm
Women of Influence in Chicago (Speaker) Chicago Architecture Foundation
Location: Elmhurst Public Library,
125 S Prospect
December 14, 2011 - 7:00pm
Holiday Get Together
Location: Flight 112
January 11, 2012 - 7:00pm
Book Discussion “Just Like Us: The True Story of Four Mexican Girls Coming to Age in America
Location: Elmhurst Public Library, 125 S Prospect
February 8, 2012 - 7:00pm
Race to Nowhere (Film Presentation and Discussion)
Location: Sandburg Middle School, 345 E St Charles Road
March 14, 2012 - 7:00pm
Woman’s History Month (Speaker) CARE
Location: Elmhurst Public Library,
125 S Prospect
April 11, 2012 - 7:00pm
Immigration Panel
Location: Elmhurst Public Library,
125 S Prospect
May 9, 2012 - 7:00pm
May Supper
Location: Wilder Mansion, Elmhurst, IL
