Aging and Gerontology Education Award (A.G.E. Scholarship)
This is awarded to Concentration Year Students accepted into the School of Social Work, CSUC. Chico Hartford Partnership Program in Aging Education (HIPPAE), Excellence in Serving Older Adults. HIPPAE is an innovative program for students interested in gaining knowledge, skills and experience working with older adults.
Our two awardees are:
Stephanie Price is currently pursuing a master’s degree in social work at California State University, Chico and will be graduating this May. She has experience working in the mental health and substance abuse fields. During her time with Butte County Behavioral Health- Crisis Services, she frequently visited hospitals in Butte County, offering supportive services to people experiencing psychological distress. She started her internship with Enloe Medical Center, which has provided her the opportunity to work closely with older adults and their families who are experiencing difficult and complex situations. As a social worker, one of her duties is to coordinate end of life care, such as hospice. She strives to compassionately promote patient-centered care by honoring the desires of the patients she serves. Working with this population has created a desire for her to continue assisting older adults in the hospital setting. Her overarching goal is to provide support to ensure the overall wellbeing for older adults in need.
Cynthia Waller graduated from Prospect High School in 1991. She married and had her first child while still in high school. After nineteen years of marriage and four children later, she divorced. At that time, she knew it was her opportunity to pursue her college dream and become a social worker. She earned two associates from Sierra College; one in Psychology and one in Behavioral Sciences. Cynthia then transferred to California State University, Sacramento and obtained her Bachelors of Social Work in 2015. During her time at Sac State, many different Social Workers came and talked about their specific social work journeys. Cynthia saw the need everywhere and was not sure of the exact social work direction she wanted to take… until the day the hospice social worker visited. When she heard the speaker present about hospice social work, it gave her chills, and at that point, hospice social work had chosen Cynthia. After graduating with her BSW, she accepted a job at a Skilled Nursing Facility doing social services. The calling to hospice never left her. After working in the field and obtaining hands on knowledge, she decided to apply to the accelerated Master of Social Work program at Chico State in order to fulfill her calling to work in hospice care. She is currently interning with Advanced Hospice based out of Sacramento. At the hospice agency, she does initial assessments, follow-up calls and visits, offers resources and provides psychosocial support. This involves a myriad of tasks from holding someone’s hand to helping with the final arrangements and more. A special project of conducting the annual hospice memorial exemplified her ongoing commitment to working with older adults in a caring and compassionate manner.
Dr. Valene Smith Soroptimist Graduate Scholarship
Established by Dr. Valene Smith and SI Chico, this scholarship is awarded to business or interdisciplinary graduate students at CSUC, who embody the Soroptimist spirit of service. This is a club only award with selection process completed by CSUC.
Our award recipient, Megan Luke, wasn’t able to attend our luncheon.
Megan Luke is the 2019-2020 recipient of the Soroptimist Graduate Scholarship. Megan earned her bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Chico State, and is currently pursuing a graduate degree in interdisciplinary studies for agroecology and integrated pest management. She intends to earn a doctorate so that she can further research and develop sustainable agroecological management systems, and teach at community college or University. She spends her free time volunteering in the community, working in her daughters’ school garden, and participating in various agricultural organizations in the area.
Soroptimist International Goodwill & Understanding Scholarship
This scholarship is for non-resident international students who have completed at least 24 units at CSUC. Recipients must indicate they plan to remain in the United States to complete a Masters degree. Preference is for students who have completed an undergraduate degree in their own country. This is a club only award with selection process completed by CSUC.
Our recipient for this award is:
Mineko Onishi is the 2019-2020 recipient of the Soroptimist International Goodwill and Understanding Scholarship. Mineko is from Japan, and received her bachelor’s degree in Spanish with a minor in Italian at CSU Long Beach. Prior to coming to Chico State to pursue a degree in education, she worked for foreign missions and US military organizations. Today, Mineko volunteers in local elementary schools teaching students about Japan and tutoring Chico State students in Japanese and Italian.
Butte College Scholarships
These scholarships acknowledge and support those students who are committed to achieving their academic goals and who demonstrate potential to be successful in their future career paths. This is a club only award with selection process completed by Butte College.
Our two awardees are:
Faith McFadden graduated from Las Plumas High School with a 4.0 GPA and 21 college credit hours through College Connection. Her path to academic excellence was bumpy, but she had the determination to overcome all challenges. After graduation from Butte, she hopes to transfer to a CSU to major in Social Work. She discovered her passion for helping others through work experiences at an after-school program at Oroville High School; and at the Butte County Behavioral Health Department Prevention Unit in Strengthening Families Program, a nationally and internationally recognized parenting and family support program focused on building the parent’s, the teen’s, and the family’s capacity for healthier relationships. She was active for several years in the Hope Center, a ministry to assist those in need, recently including Camp Fire evacuees. Faith played volleyball in high school and earned the Athletic Department Scholar Athlete Award for maintaining a 4.0 GPA. In her application, Faith wrote that her special talent and proudest accomplishment is her desire to and success in helping others, especially economically challenged families.
Mackenzie Bryan is an outstanding student maintaining a 4.0 GPA at Butte College. She managed this while a Camp Fire evacuee. After a challenging escape, she values every opportunity to find purpose and meaning in her life, and, to make a difference. She is applying to UCLA and UC Santa Barbara to complete her education. For her Gold Award project, she wanted to share her interest in STEM and create fun, hands-on lesson plans for kindergarteners at Hamilton Elementary. She developed 12 kindergarten lessons in science, technology, engineering, and math, aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards and the state Common Core Standards. She assisted introducing the curriculum to students and felt successful when the students were learning, having fun and did not want the lessons to end.
Photos from our February 19, 2020 awards program:
