AAUW Naperville Area awards three $5,000 scholarships to local college women
AAUW Naperville Area Branch recently announced the three local scholarship winners for 2021.
The recipient of annual $5,000 Angeline Gale Scholarship is Teresa Colletti. For over 50 years, this scholarship is given to a woman of nontraditional college age whose education has been interrupted. She is enrolled in a bachelors' degree program in social work at Aurora University, has a GPA of 4.0, and will graduate in December 2021.
In addition to her academic studies, Colletti works full-time for Greco & Sons, a food service distributor, and volunteers for Youth Outlook, an organization that provides support for LGBTQ+ youth, parent support and community education. Her professors describe her as "dedicated, hardworking and collaborative."
Additionally, this year, thanks to a generous benefactor, AAUW Naperville Area also awarded two Ruth Bader Ginsburg Memorial Scholarships intended to recognize college women who have demonstrated excellence in the field of STEM. Those recipients are Katherine Gannon and Lashawna Harris.
Katherine Gannon is enrolled in the environmental resources engineering program at the State University of New York. She has a GPA of 3.9 and will graduate in May 2022. She is president of the Student Environmental Education Coalitions and has led initiatives to bring STEM learning to underrepresented students. She teaches science classes for girls at the YWCA and is the fundraising chair for Engineers Without Borders.
"A critical thinker who has excellent leadership skills" is how one of her professors describes her. She would like to earn a graduate degree and work as an engineer designing and implementing coastal barriers.
Lashawna Harris is a single mother and is currently living in transitional housing. She is enrolled in a 3 + 1 Bachelor of Science program in software development at College of DuPage/Lewis University. She has a GPA of 3.6 and will graduate in December of 2022. She is a STEM Scholar, as well as Co-Vice President of a STEM club known as Promotion of Underrepresented Minority Students in Academia (PUMA.) Additionally, she was recently selected as an intern at Argonne National Laboratory. She is described by one of her professors as able to "grasp concepts quickly and is willing to assist other students." She plans to become a software developer with a concentration in artificial intelligence. She would also like to implement a computer training "Lunch & Learn" program for youth between the ages of 9 and 15 and to assist mothers that are attending college and trying to better themselves.
These talented and hard-working women were celebrated on May 11 at AAUW Naperville's monthly Zoom meeting.
For information, visit naperville-il.aauw.net or www.facebook.com/AAUW.Naperville.Area.