On behalf of the Ashland Branch of the American Association of University Women we thank you for helping us to celebrate both promise and achievement of female scholars as women work together to help one another succeed in the academic arena and beyond.

AAUW believes that education helps women and girls to overcome systemic barriers to success.  In women’s long pursuit of equality in the workplace and in the community, education has empowered women to take leading roles in the reshaping of society into a more equal, collaborative, and affirming place for us all.

Today the Ashland Branch of AAUW is proud to present a group of women scholars who today receive AAUW scholarships to Southern Oregon University or to Rogue Community College for the coming year.  These women have proved themselves to be successful students who can do what it takes to achieve a college education and to contribute to the community and the world. They were chosen from a pool of applicants and were selected on the basis of grade point average, service to the community and clear goals for themselves in the future.

Thank you all for coming today to join in this celebration of excellence and promise.  We know you will leave having been inspired and affirmed.  Collectively we invest our time, talent, and treasure in the future of these women because they are our future and the future of the world.

Wanda Chin and Kate Wold-Pizor Scholarship Committee Co-Chairs