$27,000 awarded to College-Bound Seniors
Summit College Club
On Sunday, June 5, 2022, Summit College Club (SCC), a branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), held their Scholarship Reception to award scholarships to local high school seniors. Proud parents, families, and members of Summit College Club gathered to celebrate the six honorees. Each young woman received $4,500.
President Lynne Rogerson commented: “During the last two years SCC continued to award scholarships, just as we had for more than one hundred years of our history, but the covid pandemic made a difference. We were not able to hold our annual Book Sale, which helps fund the scholarships, until this year; nor we were able to come together in an awards ceremony to meet and greet the winners. So we’re happy to be back. We’re happy to be together with the honorees and their families.”
The first speaker was due to be Sydney Villegas, a 2020 scholarship recipient. TheClub had sponsored Sydney’s participation in AAUW’s National Conference for College Women Student Leaders. Unfortunately,Sydney herself was quarantined, but she sent in her speech, which praised the conference and how much she had learned from it.
Then Anna Torell, a 2021 scholarship recipient, spoke about her first year at college. Anna, who is a world-class synchronized skater and an impressive artist in ceramics, spoke of the rich array of clubs, classes, and activities that she participated in at the University of Michigan.
Then the 2022 awards were announced. For each award, a member of the SCC Scholarship Committee spoke briefly about the winner and then presented her with a check, a certificate, and flowers. The committee had spent many hours soliciting applications, reading them, comparing responses, and interviewing the likeliest candidates. Several members said how difficult it was to select the winners, so accomplished and unique were this year’s applicants.
Speaking to the group, Marilynn MacLean of the scholarship committee noted that Summit College Club had distributed more than a million dollars in scholarships over its 100-year history; and that the national organization, AAUW, had awarded more than six million dollars in a rich variety of programs in 2021.
The Honorees
Olivia Lawlor was awarded Summit College Club’s oldest honor, the Tilla Thomas Merit Scholarship. At Summit High School (where Tilla Thomas taught years ago), Olivia was captain of the basketball team and an award-winning soccer goalie. She organized local blood drives and logged 450 hours of work with the Summit First Aid Squad. Olivia plans to major in pre-med at Dartmouth College and have a career in neuroscience.
Helen Yiran Liu won SCC’s Mary K. Tennant Scholarship. At Governor Livingston High School, Helen was a founder and co-president of the Understanding Asia Club and a member of the Diversity Committee. She tutored in English and Math and started a summer reading program for children with novels by Asian authors. She is a skilled rock climber. Helen, who spent a summer working with a geneticist at Case Western, will attend the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and hopes to do graduate work in biology or medicine.
Tiffany Lan was awarded SCC’s Kathi C. Madison MD Scholarship. At Millburn High School, Tiffany was a leader, taking the Science Olympiad Club to statewide competition. She participated in the prestigious Columbia University Science Honors Program; she was active in the Livestraw Give Back Campaign in Kenya. A Chinese classical dancer at the competitive level, a bird-watcher, and an illustrator and managing editor of her school’s literary magazine, Tiffany’s interests range widely; she plans to major in biology at Haverford College and to pursue a career in medicine.
Zaina Qureshi won one of the three SCC Merit Scholarships. At Chatham High School, Zaina, who has lived all over the world, is an ambassador to the League of Women Voters and founded the Refugee Rescue Club, which works with an international rescue committee. A member of both the varsity fencing and tennis teams, Zaina will attend Lehigh University in the fall.
Christina (Crystal) Jong also garnered one of the SCC Merit Scholarships. At Kent Place School in Summit, Crystal tutored classmates and was captain of the fencing team and vice-president of the judiciary. At church, she mentored children with special needs. Crystal plans to study engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Lara Cota was awarded the final SCC Merit Scholarship. At Summit High School, Lara was captain of the women’s cross country team, played the lead clarinet in the marching band, and wrote for the school newspaper. An activist for both gender equity and cultural awareness, Lara speaks Spanish and Croatian in addition to English. Lara will attend the University of Pennsylvania, where she will study law, journalism, and psychology in anticipation of a career in humanitarian and civil rights.
The presenters were Ellie Redington, Barbara Sayres, Kathy Tatlow (committee co-chair), Susan Abely, and Kathy Brock, all members of the scholarship committee. Also on the committee were Jee-Hoon Krska and Marilynn MacLean (co-chair).
After the ceremony was over, the room adjourned to refreshments, congratulations, and the students’ happy anticipation of college in the fall.
As a branch of the American Association of University Women, the Summit College Club strives to advance equity for women and girls, delivering local programs that support education, empowerment, and connection. New members are welcome. For information, go to summitcollegeclub.org.
Courtesy photo
