Carson City Soroptimist to present annual awards and scholarships

Carson City Soroptimist will present grant awards to two women, and honor the achievements of local high school seniors, on Wednesday, May 22, noon to 1 p.m. at Glen Eagles. The meeting is open to the public, with prior reservations required.

There is no charge to attend, however a plated lunch with choice of entrees, selected in advance, is available for $16. To reserve a seat, and select an entree, email sicarsoncity@gmail.com or leave a message at 775-297-4890. Reservations deadline is Monday, May 20 before 5 p.m.

Soroptimist believes education is the pathway to economically empowering women and girls. The Soroptimist Live Your Dream Award assists women who provide the primary source of financial support for their families by giving them the resources they need to improve their education, skills, and employment prospects.

Live Your Dream recipients may use this cash award to offset any costs associated with their efforts to attain higher education, such as for books, childcare, tuition, or transportation. The amount of the award varies, but typically includes both the cash award and a higher education scholarship. This year's Live Your Dream recipients are Michelle Powers and Lyssa Phillips.

Michelle Powers received her AA degree from Western Nevada College, then transferred to the University of Nevada, Reno. She is currently studying Music Education, with the goal of becoming a Music Teacher. She is finishing her last semester with one additional semester of student teaching remaining. Another future goal for Powers is to promote Arts and Music activities and education in the community. She looks forward to becoming a key educator for the next generation, as well as a mentor that will further support it's passion for the arts.

Lyssa Phillips is attending Western Nevada College, enrolled in the accelerated welding program. This program leads to certifications necessary to begin working in the welding industry. Phillips' goal is to learn the welding trade so she can always provide and care for her son. Says Phillips, "It is important to show my son that no matter how hard life gets, we have the choice to pick ourselves up and keep going, and that anyone can have the future they dream of as long as one is willing to work hard for it."

Carson City Soroptimist Girls of the Month are high school seniors selected for exemplary academic achievement, participation in school activities, and community service. Many of these girls have overcome adversity to become leaders in their schools and our community. In addition to recognition at a Club meeting, each girl joins decades of girls so honored, having her name added to the plaques located at Carson High School.

Crystal Vargas will receive the Girl of the Year Scholarship, after being selected as February's Girl of the Month. Vargas is one of three Nevada students to be named as a US Presidential Scholar in Career and Technical Education.

As part of the judging criteria for that award Crystal created and proposed an Emergency Medical Preparedness Plan for Carson High School and established a partnership between the CHS HOSA chapter and the NV Medical Reserve Corp. Vargas also received international recognition for completing over 175 hours of community service, thereby receiving the Barbara James Service Award. Vargas also participates on the JV Girls Soccer and Basketball programs. She plans to attend the University of Nevada Reno this fall as a full-time student.

March Girl of the Month is Cassidy Painter. Painter is very active in Choir; earning 6 All State Choir plaques. She is very passionate about her career goal of becoming a Nurse, and volunteers regularly at health related events. Painter created an international fundraiser called “It Starts with a Bar of Soap” which delivered 2,000 bars of soap to an orphanage named Smile Africa, located in Torono, Uganda. She plans to attend Western Nevada College for her prerequisites, then transferring to a Nursing Program after.

April Girl of the Month is Laina Aquino. Aquino is an honor student who is very active in helping incoming students at Carson High School become acclimated to their new school. She plans on becoming a Nurse and has won awards for her efforts. She took 1st place at the HOSA State Conference in 2018 and participated in the national competition. Aquino plans on attending Western Nevada College in the fall to study Nursing.

May Girl of the Month is Fionna Carrick. Carrick is an artist who plans on becoming an art educator or therapist. She would like to combine art and education to reach and inspire young people. In 2018, she took 1st place in the Denim Day Project from Advocates to End Domestic Violence. Although Carrick planned on casting a wide net in applying to schools, her top school at the time of her application was to attend Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village.

Girls of the Month recognized earlier in the school year also deserve another shout-out. September Girl of the Month, Jasmyn Riediger, helped raise $55,000 for fellow Carson High School students affected by a tragic car accident. October's Aadra Reed volunteers for food drives and community clean ups. November's Rylee Santos is business-minded with intentions to one day run for political office. December's Jill Beglin is a four-time Varsity Letter recipient. January's Nura Tung studies philosophy and volunteers with Food for Thought.

Soroptimist International is a global volunteer organization working to improve the lives of women and girls through programs leading to social and economic empowerment. The Carson City club provides education and training scholarships for local women, grant funding for local organizations, and breast cancer screenings for under-insured women. For more information about Soroptimist in Carson City, go to http://www.sicarsoncity.org.