By Taffy Geith

      On Sunday, October 28, Barbara Purvis, Carrie Garrett and I motored to Knott’s Berry Farm Hotel to attend the AAUW California Fellows’ Luncheon.  After a warm welcome by Sharon Westafer, AAUW-CA Director, Funds Development, she was proud to say there were 42 AAUW Funds Fellows and Grant Recipients studying at California colleges and universities or doing projects during 2012-13.  She noted that two of today’s scheduled recipients were absent.
After lunch was served, we were fortunate to see and hear this diverse group of honorees give testimony to their past history, their present education attainments and their future plans.
American Fellowships: 
   Elizabeth Andrews, a fifth year research student at UC Irvine, is studying Chemical and Bio molecular Engineering.  (She got her PhD. at UCLA.)  She is presently testing methods for the delivery of therapeutic proteins to cells.  She is currently teaching a class, mentoring graduate students, and will write her dissertation this year – hoping to graduate in June of next year.  She plans to continue her research and to teach.
    Sharon Oslin is now working on Publication Grants and Sociology.  She is currently teaching at CSU-LA and is interested in issues that affect women.  She studies gender equality that concerns class, race, gender and sexuality.  In her dissertation she did a comparison of how these four factors effect programs that help prostitutes effectively leave that life style.  She has a contract to teach at NYU next year.
Career Development Grant Recipient:
    Alexandra Brooks is working on her Master’s in Business Administration at UC Irvine.  She is a Navy Reservist of the United Kingdom and is married to a US Marine.  In Afghanistan she engaged on occasion with Afghanistan women and became concerned with their suppression of young women.  She intends to continue to work with and for young women.
    Stephanie Meredith is an artist—oil painter, photographer, and art teacher, working on her Master’s in Fine Arts at Claremont Graduate School.  Aware of the difficulty that young women have in securing a job, obtaining gallery representation, and baby sitters, she sees a need to start a non-profit organization to help women artists have a gallery, a baby-sitting co-op, and grants to help their families.  “Art disrupts a narrative!” That is her answer to “what is art?”
    Karla Sarni is now at UCLA working on a Master’s in Business Administration.  She has a unique history –first generation American, child of Columbian illegal immigrants, Army Reservist, paralegal, recruit leader, full scholarship to UC Berkeley, and four years at a law firm.  She wants to be a leader and to continue to help other women and work for equality for women.
    Brenda Vazquez is working for a degree in Gerontology at USC.  She has had an interesting life — a TV Star in Porto Rico working for Disney from ages 8 to 10.  She has had a full- fledged career in film making. After an interview with an elderly woman, she met Wilma June Simmons, who got her a job starting up a program in chronic diseases self-management in Senior City Housing.  This grant will help her to do the research, quantify the results and publish. Thus, allowing intervention with senior citizens.
     Shehia Yamani is at CSU Fullerton working on a Master’s in Business Administration. She is from Pakistan, but has been here for twenty years.    She has a BA in Literature from UC Irvine, and has worked in Information Technology (IT) for seventeen years in business management but desired a more meaningful job.  She is at Orange Mission Hospital and is pursuing a leadership role in a special  program called, “Bethany”, that helps homeless and abused women in transition.
Selected Professions Fellow:
     Kimberly Swennen is at UCLA working on a second master’s degree in computer and information sciences.  She’s originally from Yale Theater Science and has worked as an actress on TV.  She stated that there are rigorous rules for communication on computers.  This grant makes it possible for her to study “remote collaboration” full time.  She mentioned new software that will help people inter-relate –“office meeting with avatars” is one example that she gave.
Presentation of State Named Gift Award:
Ann Deluiso, AAUW Funds Co-Chair of the La Mesa-El Cajon Branch, named Myrra Lee as the honored recipient.  Ms. Lee has a BA from the University of Wisconsin, Magna Cum Laude, an MA from Columbia University,  a Fulbright Scholar, was the County, State and National Teacher of the year, 1977, taught History and Government for 24 years at Helix High, La Mesa and currently serves on the AAUW State International Advocacy Committee.  (This is necessarily an abbreviated list of her accomplishments.)   Truly, Ms. Lee is a supreme example of scholarship, leadership and hard working American womanhood that AAUW can proudly claim as a member.  By her drive for excellence she has contributed to the betterment of society.
Closing Remarks and Announcements:
The luncheon came to a close with the chairperson, Sharon Westafer,  acknowledging the presence of many present and former state officers and other persons of distinction who share so much to make events such as these  successful.   Too, different branches had this opportunity to announce special events and to issue invitations to those wishing to attend.  The last statement heard by all was, “AAUW changes lives.”   Well said.
The three Riverside Branch members headed for home with renewed faith in the women who pursue their dreams through education and a continued awareness of the way these scholars face the challenges of the future with confidence.