AAUW West Suburban-Milwaukee Awards Scholarships for 2023
This year, the AAUW West Suburban-Milwaukee Branch awarded academic scholarships of $2,000 each to students from six local colleges: Alverno College, Carroll University, Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC), Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE), Mount Mary University and Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC).
Additionally, we were able to provide scholarships for 4 students to attend AAUW’s annual leadership conference (NCCWSL) which was held virtually this past May. These recipients included Litze Estrada and Imani Scott from Alverno College, as well as Ana Sofia Ocampo Hernandez and Mahan Umar from Mount Mary University.
This year, our academic scholarship recipients are:
- Brittany Gorgon: Alverno College, Nursing
Upon finishing 3 years in the United States Army, I decided I wanted to become a nurse. This has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl. I love to help people and I feel this is the best way to do just that. I enrolled at Alverno College in fall of 2019. Alverno has been good to me in many ways. While I am at Alverno I want to make the best of my experience and learn all that I can. I want to be a great nurse that applies every skill needed. I want to take advantage of the programs and extracurricular nursing activities at the college.
When I graduate, I want to become a labor and delivery nurse. After I had my own child that moment was just magical for me. I want to be there for other mothers and experience that moment with them. I want to be able to help expecting mothers every step of the way. I want to ensure that they are comfortable and that I am doing an excellent job. When I think of my life as a labor and delivery nurse, that thought is fulfilling to me.
This scholarship, which I am so grateful to receive, will help me through college and help to relieve some of the financial burdens. When I have additional funds that help pay my tuition it relieves stress for me, and I can focus more on my studies. I plan to keep my good grades and not only complete college, but complete college with honors.
- April Sutton: Carroll University, Nursing
Iam a single mom to a beautiful ten year-old daughter and I come from a large family of seven kids. I strive to be a role model for my siblings and my daughter by working hard in all my classes and persevering even when life gets hard.
I decided I wanted to attend Carroll when I read about Carroll’s mission statement of stewardship: focused on treating and caring for others with respect, kindness, and dignity, as these are the qualities I want to cultivate my new career out of.
I am majoring in nursing because I love taking care of people. I have been a licensed massage therapist for the past seven years and I have greatly enjoyed treating clients with compassion and care when they are not feeling their best. I hope that I can carry that same care, compassion and energy into my nursing career. I am currently pursuing a minor in psychology alongside the major in the nursing program. I am interested in exploring career options in psychiatric nursing.
Thank you so much to the membership at AAUW for supporting me in pursuing a better future for myself and my daughter. Support from people like you truly makes a difference! I feel so honored and proud to receive this scholarship from the American Association of University Women West Suburban Milwaukee Branch. All of my role models in life have been women and I feel like I can be a role model too with the help and support of scholarships like this one.
- Simone Tatum: Mount Mary University, Biology Health Science
My academic goal is to have a master’s as a physician assistant or anesthesiologist assistant. I am leaning towards becoming a physician assistant due to my love for interacting with patients. I love talking to them and easing their worries while they are in the medical setting. Professionally I would like to just work with patients and help them. I would love to be a physician assistant with a specialty in pediatrics. I love to work with children, and I want to help them understand what’s going on. As a child I didn’t understand what my pediatrician used to say regarding my health, and I was always upset about not knowing what was going on. When I become a physician assistant, I would like to explain to children what’s going on, so they won’t feel how I felt. This scholarship will support me financially and mentally. I will have less of a burden for paying for school. This mentally helps me by relieving a bit of stress and always having the thought in the back of my head on how I am going to pay for school.
- Keva Rose Estrada: Waukesha County Technical College, Human Services
I am a wife and mother of two teenagers, one of whom has autism. Last year, at the age of 35 I decided to go to college while juggling work, family, and home responsibilities, making me a textbook example of a non-traditional student. Since becoming a student at WCTC, I have been involved in many roles and activities such as being the 2021-2022 WTCS District Student Ambassador, facilitating for the WTCS Working as One: Parent Student Event, being current President of the Multicultural Student Union, member of the DEI committee, Honor Roll and Dean’s list student, and student mentor. In High School, I was one of few students of color and was ostracized and overlooked. When I started college, I planned on flying under the radar and lacked confidence. Now, I am achieving successes and opportunities that I did not think I was capable or deserving of. My objective is to continue working with people of all backgrounds, by becoming a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion educator and advocate. I want to encourage all future students, regardless of their background, age, or socioeconomic status, that they can have quality education experience and support.
I am eternally grateful to the American Association of University Women – West Suburban Milwaukee Branch for awarding me a scholarship that will help further my education by providing financial support that is essential to take care of my family and education expenses so I can continue striving toward an impactful future.
- Michelle Guzman: MATc, Aviation Mechanics
Submitted by Paige F. Horcher PA-C, College/University Liaison