Caption: AAUW recently honored scholarship recipients with a luncheon at Diamante County Club. Recipients included (front row): Sarah Rudder, Laury Ramos, guest speaker Dr. John Hogan, president of National Park College, Aaron Johnson, Leslie Camacho and Ali Meeks; back row, Yolanza Ford, Jinny Winchell, Jamie Huisman, Karin Owens and Jennifer Ibarra-Reyes. (Mary Eliades photo)
AAUW holds scholarship luncheon
Diamante Country Club was the setting for the annual scholarship luncheon hosted by the Hot Springs/Hot Springs Village branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW). Ten scholarship recipients from the last two years attended the event, along with representatives from National Park College (NPC) and the NPC AAUW junior affiliate.
Branch president Mary Eliades welcomed members and guests and explained how the scholarship fund operates. The branch currently has six fully endowed scholarships, each of which were funded by an initial donation. The branch has funded two of the scholarships and the other four are named for the donors: Ruth Fox, Patricia Ormsbee, John and Velma Coolidge, and Jim and Becky Gifford. Interest generated from the funds goes into a scholarship pool, along with other donations and fundraising proceeds. The fund is professionally managed and administered through the nonprofit NPC Foundation.
National Park College is instrumental in advertising available scholarships and collecting applications, and the AAUW scholarship committee then selects the most promising candidates and conducts interviews. The number of scholarships awarded each year depends on funds available; ten scholarships were awarded for the 2021-2022 academic year. Funds are distributed before the fall semester, and recipients must meet certain criteria regarding grades, class load, etc. to receive funds for the following semester.
The guest speaker at the luncheon was Dr. John Hogan, president of National Park College. Hogan spoke about the importance of a college education, whether in the form of a university, a community college, a vocational-technical college, or other accredited institution. Offering an anecdote about his aging parents having to learn new skills, he said that “learning is a lifelong experience” and that one of the responsibilities of educators is to instill a “passion for learning in our young people.” Hogan praised AAUW for “walking the walk” by providing financial and moral support for young women trying to get an education against sometimes overwhelming odds.
The scholarship recipients are traditionally a very high-achieving group of women. Many have pursued nursing degrees, and credit family experiences with medical workers for their career choices. After receiving associate degrees at NPC, most go on to pursue bachelor’s degrees at universities around the state.
Two of the women are pursuing degrees in criminal justice, two are art majors, and one is a sign language specialist. Many of the women are mothers who juggle schoolwork, jobs, volunteer work and childcare. All of them share a commitment to their communities and the desire to “pay it forward” by volunteering and helping others pursue their educational goals.
The event concluded with a raffle of centerpieces donated by AAUW members and local businesses, including Breshears Nursery, Plaza Carmona Dental Associates, Ike Eisenhauer’s State Farm Insurance agency, Village Employees Benefit Fund, Caleb’s Landscaping, and Alan Rapp Insurance Agency.
For more information about AAUW, visit the website https://hshsv-ar.aauw.net.