Q: What did receiving the Emerge scholarship mean to you while you were in school or at the time you received the award?

The honor of receiving the generous scholarship validated for me and for my family that continuing my education was a worthwhile cause. It also made it possible for me to take additional classes and ultimately discover the exact fit for my abilities so that I can succeed to fulfill my potential.

Q: What does receiving the Emerge scholarship mean to you now?

Because of the generosity of the Emerge scholarship I have been able to complete phase one of my future and will now be continuing to a higher degree in this relatively new field. I also am included in a supportive role to decision makers concerning the causes of sustainability including conservation and recycling. I am actually having a small impact on how these issues are viewed.

Q: Did receiving the Emerge scholarship help change the course of your personal and professional life?

How could it not! Knowing that an accomplished group of women and men see that you have something to offer by improving your education is emotionally and even physically energizing. Even the act of filing the application helped me to identify and clarify the goals I was seeking.

Q: If you could help motivate women like yourself to apply to Emerge for a scholarship, what would you say to them? What advice would you give them?

I believe that motivation is an internal mechanism. I do also believe that every woman needs to understand that life comes in steps or phases. You must be open to opportunity and you must never think that someone else is more deserving than you are yourself. The hand you are dealt may be the one you have to play, but the odds improve when you reach out to others and ask for help. Then yours are not the only cards from which to draw. My advice would be to read the application carefully and answer the questions honestly, but give yourself the benefit of the doubt as you would for others. Focus your thoughts and identify your dreams.

Q: If you could motivate an individual or corporation to support or give funding to Emerge, what would you say to them? How would you convince them to give their support to an Emerge scholarship fund?

Thank you for all the good things you do for us and for all the many organizations that ask for your help. Emerge Scholarships is an especially vital cause that deserves your support. Women in the workforce need to be in leadership roles to improve not only your image but also your company’s bottom line since we really do not have a mentoring program in place currently.  Supporting the education of women to be leaders is key to the national economy and key to the shaping of the future. Women as business role models improve the lives of all those they touch.

Q: What message would you like to send to the women on the Emerge board, or those thinking about committing their time as future board members? 

Without the board members of Emerge giving so generously of their time and talent I know that I would now not be prepared to contribute my knowledge and talents to help improve the world around me. It is the bible that says, “To whom much is given, much is required.”