Six young Vallejo women win $5K scholarships from Soroptimists

Geraldine Lonsdale learned Monday that on top of her other accomplishments, she was selected valedictorian of her class, news she shared with Soroptimist International of Vallejo members and others gathered at that group's annual scholarship awards luncheon.

With the last of Public Works Week visible out Zio Fraedo's picture windows along the Vallejo waterfront, Lonsdale and five other female Vallejo students were each awarded $5,000 scholarships at Monday's event — something the group's been doing annually since 1939, members said.

"These lucky young ladies applied, interviewed and were chosen to receive our scholarships because of their academic rigor, dedication to community service and demonstrated financial need," group member and Solano County Supervisor Erin Hannigan said. Lonsdale, a Jesse Bethel High School senior, plans to study psychology at UC Berkeley. Besides being in the National Honor Society and president of Biomed Academy Leadership, she volunteers with the local Humane Society and with Faith Food Fridays, and works as a server at Brookdale Senior Living.

"Coming from a low-income, immigrant family, I really appreciate the scholarship," Lonsdale said. "My mom didn't have the advantages I have, being a single mother from the Philippines."

Hannigan pointed out that like Like Lonsdale, few Soroptimist's scholarship winners "were born with a silver spoon in their mouth, and many are the first in their families to go to college."

The group raises money at its annual Winemakers Dinner to help women and girls in the Vallejo community achieve their goals, Hannigan said.

"We believe education is an important step for women to be able to reach success," she said. "College can be expensive and our scholarships are designed to help off-set that cost in their first year."

The award amounts and the number of students scholarships awarded to has grown in recent years, Hannigan said.

"This is the second year we're giving $5,000, but last year, we only gave away five, and this year, there's six," she said. This year's main fund raiser brought in $81,000, so next year's scholarships may increase, she said.

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Carmela Villegas — the only one from MIT Academy – couldn't be present Monday, because she was in Washington, D.C., on a senior trip she helped raise the funds for her class to take. Represented Monday by her mother and sister, Villegas was student body and Key Club president, and plans to study molecular biology at UC San Diego.

Melanie Alcantara, Vallejo High School's student body president, will attend UC Davis and major in psychology or sociology. She's volunteered for Special Olympics and has been Color Guard captain and treasurer of the band.

Among others, Alcantara thanked her mother, whom she called, her "rock."

Isabel Constantino, who attends Jesse Bethel High School, plans to study nursing at CSU Sacramento. She volunteers at Kaiser Permanente Vallejo Medical Center and is a Solano County Teen Librarian. She's also president of the Red Cross Club and the Art Club and belongs to several other organizations.

Among her many accomplishments, Constantino said she's working toward creating gender equality in chore-doing at home, she said.

Also from Bethel, Xochitl Vargas is involved with Upward Bound at UC Davis where she plans to major in global disease biology. An honor student for four years, Vargas also attended the Vallejo Firefighter Youth Academy and worked as a lifeguard and poll worker.

"I want to thank my parents for always supporting me and being there for me," she said.

"Being a woman of color, I'm interested in pursuing computer science, to help break the stereotypes and adversity in the field for myself and those who come after me," said Bethel senior and Soroptimist scholarship winner Mylinh Pham.

Pham, who'll be attending UC Irvine, was president of her freshman and sophomore classes and of the Interact Club. She also is a Google Scholar for the computer science summer program and volunteers with Fighting Back Partnership.

"Being able to provide college scholarships to help young women in our community realize their dreams is our primary mission," Hannigan said. "Soroptimist International of Vallejo is grateful to contributors of our fund-raising efforts that allows us the opportunity to do this work. It's very heartwarming."

Contact Rachel Raskin-Zrihen at (707) 553-6824.

Source: Six young Vallejo women win $5K scholarships from Soroptimists