Four exceptional young women were chosen from a very competitive pool of applicants to receive our Makefield Area AAUW Branch High School Senior Scholarships for 2022.  Each year we invite applications from the public high schools in our area: Council Rock South, Morrisville, Neshaminy, Pennsbury, and Bucks County Technical High School. Applicants are nominated by their guidance counselors and must be in the top 10% of their class. We are looking for young women who not only excel in their studies, but who are active in their communities, who give of their time to others, and who we think have the potential to make important contributions to their chosen professions and to their communities in the future.

Miriam Nachman Memorial Scholarship – Bridget Handley
Our first scholarship winner is Bridget Handley from Neshaminy High School.  Bridget has an outstanding academic record, volunteered in many community-service programs, including NHS STEAM Expo, participates as a Varsity Cheerleader, is a member of the National Honors Society. Bridget’s goal is to change the fate of our planet through architecture, inspired by a school assignment that shows buildings could be beneficial to the environment through thoughtful construction.

Bridget has been accepted to the Penn State University 5-year Architecture program. Bridget intends to combine her Architecture degree with her passion for environmental concerns by designing sustainable, eco-friendly “green” buildings. We certainly look forward to Bridget’s designs in our area and we are sure she will succeed in her goal to “change the world!”

Naomi Beller Memorial Scholarship – Elizabeth McCaskey
Our second scholarship recipient is Elizabeth McCaskey from Morrisville High School. Elizabeth is a member of the Nation Honors Society, has volunteered with Future Business Leaders of America and Morrisville Coalition, as well as her school’s student government program. Elizabeth has been accepted and plans to attend West Virginia University, enrolled in their Cybersecurity Major.

Elizabeth’s choice in Cybersecurity was solidified during the COVID-19 shutdown, where she realized that this topic would be her ideal career path. This major falls in line with her interest in STEM occupations, computer science, and coding. While we all hope there will be no need for future shutdowns that force us into a “virtual” existence, our world has shifted more online than ever before, and it is encouraging to know that such a bright young mind plans to be ensuring our security in the future!

Amy Lowenstein Memorial Scholarship – Courtney Cooper
Our third scholarship winner for 2022 is Courtney Cooper from Pennsbury High School. Courtney has been accepted to Thomas Jefferson University 5-year dual-degree Health Sciences BS/Physician Assistant Master program. Courtney was awarded the AAUW Science Award in 7^th grade, which gave her a “confidence boost that encouraged” her to pursue her dreams.

Courtney is already enrolled in BCCC Nurses Aid program to gain hands on knowledge in the field while still in High School. This is in addition to her involvement in Anatomy Club, The Pennsbury Voice school paper, National Honors Society and National Spanish Honors Society, among many others! We will look forward to great things in Courtney’s future and hope she is able to serve the community as a Physician Assistant and fulfill her dream!

Branch Scholarship supported by Coldwell Banker Hearthside Realtors – Kylie Marozsan
Our fourth and final scholarship winner for 2022 is Kylie Marozsan from Neshaminy High School. Kylie is pursuing a degree in Marine Biology with a focus on environmental science and sustainability, which she will obtain from one of the many universities where she has already been accepted.  Kylie is a very active young lady, participating in the National Honors Society, the Neshaminy student council, Girl Scout Troop #275, and Drama Club, to name just a few!

Kylie works tirelessly already to improve her impact on the environment. She has a long-time love of animals and of Mother Nature, and by pursuing this degree she will fulfill her “duty to not only care for [Mother Nature] but also to teach others to care for her too.”  We certainly hope that Kylie’s passion and studies nurture her enjoyment of biology to achieve her goals!

We wish Bridget, Elizabeth, Courtney, and Kylie each success in their future studies.  We hope that our scholarship will help you in your endeavors and encourage you to pursue your dreams. Knowing that we have such ambition and talent blossoming into the world ensures us that we have a bright future ahead!

Meri Tvaradze is this year’s winner of the Judy Peter Memorial Scholarship. She has two children 13 and 6 years old. Meri describes the health care field as her long-held dream profession. Although family obligations delayed college, she did not give up. Meri attends Bucks County Community College, has a 4.0 GPA and is working toward an Associate of Health Science Degree. After BCCC she will continue her studies and looks forward to becoming a Nurse Practitioner.

Jessica Hopkins is this year’s winner of the Amy Kurland-Toney Memorial Scholarship. She has a one-year-old son and currently is a stay-at-home mom, except for school. Jessica has long been interested in a career working with children. Her short-term goal is to get her Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education at Bucks County Community College where she is on her way with a 4.0 GPA. The future is a Bachelor Degree in Early Childhood Education leading to her long-term goal of kindergarten teacher.

Three exceptional young women were chosen from a very competitive pool of applicants to receive our Makefield Area AAUW Branch High School Senior Scholarships for 2021. Each year we invite applications from the public high schools in our area: Council Rock South, Morrisville, Neshaminy, Pennsbury, and Bucks County Technical High School. Applicants are nominated by their guidance counselors and must be in the top 10% of their class. We are looking for young women who not only excel in their studies, but who are active, who give to others, and who we think have the potential to make important contributions to their chosen professions and to their communities in the future.

Our first scholarship winner is Caitlin Holden from Bucks County Technical High School, graduating from the Welding and Fabrication program. Caitlin has an outstanding academic record, participates in club and school JV and Varsity ice hockey team as both a player and as a coach (and as a paid referee). She has volunteered at the Yardley-Makefield branch of the Bucks County Free Library. In addition, Caitlin works as a lifeguard and as an election pole worker.

Caitlin has been accepted to several universities, including Drexel University, University of Pittsburgh, West Virginia University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Rochester Institute of Technology, but has not yet decided where she will attend at the time of this report. She plans to study Chemical Engineering, which she finds to be the “perfect combination of math and science needed to satisfy… dreams” that she had since childhood to be among the great innovators like Marie Curie, Nikola Tesla, and Stephen Hawking. Caitlin hopes to apply her chemical engineering studies to word on drugs and treatments that improve the lives of others. We certainly hope we see Caitlin’s name amongst those great innovators in the near future!

Our second scholarship recipient is Cheyenne Boss from Morrisville High School. Cheyenne will receive the Miriam Nachman Memorial Scholarship. Mim Nachman was an important member of our branch for decades. The scholarship is made possible by donations made in her honor after her death in December 2020.

Cheyenne has been accepted at various schools, but has decided to attend Arcadia University where she will study criminal justice and French (as a double major) with the end goal of becoming an attorney. Cheyenne has worked as a CARES worker at Holy Trinity School since 2018 and as a babysitter for many years, in addition to volunteering as an Alter Server at Holy Trinity Church. She has served on the Morrisville High School student council for three years, is a National Honor Society inductee, participated in the Reading Olympics, and was a girl scout for many years, among other things.

Cheyenne’s main aspiration has been a college-level education. She is excited to be able to start on this goal at Arcadia in the fall semester, and we are very excited to help Cheyenne along with this scholarship!

Our third and final scholarship winner for 2021 is Carissa Van Veen from Pennsbury High School. Carissa receives the Amy Lowenstein Memorial Scholarship, an annual award made possible by a bequest from and contributions in honor of a former Branch member and finance officer.

Carissa plans to major in biochemistry with a minor in psychology at one of the various colleges she has been accepted to, which include Penn State, Pitt Honors, University of Maryland, or Villanova (she has not yet committed). She plans to go into the medical field with a desire to specialize in pediatric anesthesiology or psychology. She hopes to work at a children’s hospital in her future.

Carissa has a spotless academic record and a long list of accomplishments in her short years. She has volunteered with the Special Olympics, at Tabby’s Place Cat Sanctuary, and with special needs students at church for Sunday school. She has also put many hours in to various activities including being the overall chairperson for Mini-THON, Varsity (Captain) and club volleyball teams, student council secretary, the Prom Committee, and National Honor Society inductee, to name a few. In addition, she recently started working as a caseworker at KenCrest Services. We hope that Carissa’s studies nurture her enjoyment of biology, chemistry, and life sciences to achieve her goals!

We wish Caitlin, Cheyenne, and Carissa each success in their future studies. Knowing that we have such ambition and talent blossoming into the world ensures us that we have a bright future ahead!

Laraine Thompson, winner of the Amy Kurland-Toney Memorial Scholarship, is a 38-year-old mother of three. She had her first son at a young age. After two years of college she had to drop out due to the hardships of being a young, single mom. She had always wanted to go back to college to finish her degree, but life got in the way for a while. Before COVID her time was spent on two jobs as well as caring for her children. During the quarantine Loraine realized she did not want to go back to that. She wanted to do something to better her life and so she decided to further her education at Bucks County Community College (BCCC). Her children have become her biggest support team and are very proud of her!

The cost of schooling had held her back from attending school again. She is currently enrolled in BCCC for an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration. She is continuing her education after an 18-year break, something she had wanted to do for a long time. She is finally taking the steps to work towards this goal and would love to own her own business one day.

Ralphlyn Randall, winner of the Judith Peter Memorial Scholarship, is a mother of three and the legal guardian of her nephew. In 2013 Ralphlyn and her family migrated to the United States of America for a better life but her husband became ill and passed away in 2016 while seeking treatment. Since then, she has been fending for her children by herself as well as pursuing her educational goals. She applied for this scholarship to assist her financially in buying school books and meeting other educational needs.

As Ralphlyn sees it, nursing is a unique field that is accessible to anyone with the passion to help people. Her educational goal is to become a nurse practitioner and to help her community. She presently works with children and adults with developmental, intellectual and physical disabilities. Working with them and seeing the challenges serves as a motivating factor for her.

She is determined to complete her college studies and also improve the well-being of her family.

by Sharon Abrahams

My interview with Kathy Shaginaw took place on Monday, February 1, during the Nor’easter that was raging outside as we spoke on the telephone. Kathy is a very fascinating lady and I hope you all will enjoy reading about her as much as I have enjoyed interviewing her.

Kathy was born in Detroit, Michigan, where she grew up and went to high school. She recalled being there when the famous riots took place in the sixties. (She still remembers seeing smoke from a few miles away from where she and her family lived.)

She met her husband on the web. In 2001, when cleaning up her e-mails, she happened to see an ad for a website that introduced men and women. She had never answered anything like that and decided on a whim to do so. (It was the one and only time she ever did something like that.) It was a good thing she did because he was the man she later married, in 2004.

She and her husband currently have no pets, but in the past, she has had many cats. Ever since Kaycee, her last cat, passed, they haven’t felt ready to get another one.

Kathy is a very busy woman. When asked what her hobbies are she said that she loves to bake and to cook and to go to the gym. She admitted that for the past ten years, she has been a “gym rat” and loves to exercise. Last summer, when their anniversary was approaching, she suggested to her husband that they buy a treadmill, since their gym had closed because of COVID. She faithfully uses it every day for a good fifty minutes and listens to books on Apps from our local library and on Audible while exercising.

Kathy has lots of special talents. As the AAUW Makefield Area PA Branch directory shows, she has a PhD in chemistry and a BS/BA in chemistry and math. She is intricately involved with the PAGES^TM hands-on science program for sixth grade girls at Chestnut Hill College, which she has organized for more than twenty years. Our Branch has participated in this program since 2004.

Her pet peeve is people who are stubborn or who say no without trying something first. What makes her happy is trying new foods and going to new places.

She has traveled to a number of European countries, as well as to Canada and Mexico. Most of her traveling with her husband has been in the U.S.

When asked what people don’t know about her that she wished they did, her answer was that she can be silly and creative and she loves to have fun. (Well, now the secret is out!)

One of her creative outlets has been as the Bookmark Lady for Cops ‘n’ Kids. Claire Passantino came up with the idea of bookmark monsters and Kathy has created dozens of bookmark designs for various events.

When asked what wish she’d like to come true, she replied that people need to take the time to understand each other; and that drastic improvement needs to be made with regard to race relations.

She teaches chemistry at the Community College of Philadelphia and is grateful to be able to help those students in need. These are students who typically don’t have all the advantages that students in other locations have.

When asked if she had ever met anyone famous, she gave a long list of chefs as well as a well-known jazz violinist who attended the same undergraduate school as she did. She also listed Freeman Dyson, the mathematician and physicist.

She prefers to read novels on medical or historic subjects. One of her favorite authors is Lisa Genova.

I asked how she learned of AAUW and why she joined. She explained that in 1987 she moved to Easton, PA.  She saw an article in the newspaper about an event that AAUW was to have. The subject and the goals of AAUW were of interest to her, and she believed in the same causes as AAUW, so she decided to attend. The rest is history.

When asked the question of what meal would she like a chef to prepare for her and guests, she replied that her choice would be the very same 15^th anniversary dinner that she and her husband enjoyed at Zahav Israeli restaurant in Philadelphia in 2019. The meal consisted of laffa bread (pita-like bread, made in-house) served with hummus, tahini, and many mezzes. Mezzes are little a

ppetizers, dips, etc. that are served along with the laffa bread. The main course was roasted pomegranate lamb shoulder and Persian rice. The dessert was something very unusual: phyllo dough filled with blueberries and chocolate. What made the meal even more special was that the owner of the restaurant talked with her and her husband after the meal. Kathy felt very lucky to get the dinner reservations because Zahav had just been named the best restaurant in the United States by the James Beard Foundation earlier that year.

It was a pleasure interviewing this fascinating woman.

Tuesday, November 10, 7pm

Zoom Meeting

Dr. Cherrissa Gibson is the new Director of Equity, Diversity, and Education for the Pennsbury School District – one of only two such positions in Bucks County. She will tell us about herself and her goals and we will discuss how groups like AAUW can work with her.

Members of other AAUW branches are welcome to attend.

Join the meeting at:
Link: us02web.zoom.us/j/83355236665?pwd=dWwxcFZiazJWZWJGT2VXTXBuSDRCUT09
Meeting ID: 833 5523 6665
Passcode: 298113

Don’t do Zoom! You can call in at +1 929 205 6099.

At our 2019-2020 Annual Meeting held in April on Zoom, Kathy Shaginaw announced the winners of the year’s Branch Awards.

The Outstanding Woman Award went to Kathy Quinn, board member, finance officer and communications coordinator for her many contributions to the continuing functioning of the branch. Kathy was pleased to accept the award, which demonstrates the Branch’s recognition of her activities, “recognition that it is always great to receive, especially from the many accomplished women of this branch.”

The Member Making a Difference Award went to Francine Block, who continues to serve the branch in many quiet ways including serving on the Bucks County Women’s History Month Award Committee and organizing the kitchen crew at the annual Girls’ Recognition Reception. She had this to say about the award:

I would like to sincerely thank our branch for the very unexpected honor of receiving the Branch Service Award. I am so proud of what our AAUW accomplishes. We are a great example of small but mighty. We obviously are not a large branch but those who volunteer certainly make a difference from encouraging reading–so important for life and success, celebrating young women’s accomplishments and doing special programming to tweak their continued interests hoping they will continue their math and science pursuits, and then helping others by awarding scholarships to recent high school graduates as well as women continuing their road to a college degree in our local community college. This branch is so amazing, I am humbled and so appreciative to have been honored, thank you.”

Patrice at the registration table of STEMGirls at BCCC

On Wednesday, April 15, I had the pleasure of interviewing Patrice Pladsen. (Because of the coronavirus, we had to do this over the telephone without having ever met.) Patrice is fascinating. She is retired now, has many interests, and maintains a very full schedule. She has a Masters in Reading and a Masters in Educational Administration. She was born in Northeast Philadelphia and grew up there. She and her future husband, Keith, were in elementary school together. In eighth grade, Keith’s family relocated to Boston. In an April, many, many years later, they both attended the same reunion. They were married four months later.

Patrice and Keith have two children, a son and a daughter. The daughter is married and the son is not. The daughter has three children, two sons and a daughter. Patrice and Keith provide after school care three days a week until their parents get home from work. She describes this as a “part time job” that they both adore. Patrice doesn’t have any pets, but when the children were young, the family had an adorable, albeit naughty, beagle dog.

Patrice has many interests, three of which keep her busy all the time. She is a fitness fanatic who loves walking and going to the gym to exercise. She has always been interested in learning and especially in how children learn. She is an avid reader who belongs to several book clubs. She also enjoys working with her hands, doing puzzles and traveling to many different countries. Her passion is literacy. In a way, that interest in literacy is what introduced her to AAUW. She happened upon an article in the Newtown Gazette about Cops & Kids. In the same publication, there was an AAUW article describing their work with students and STEM programs. Fascinated by what Cops & Kids was accomplishing and intrigued by the STEM initiatives, she had to investigate and then joined the organization responsible for Cops and Kids.

When Patrice was asked what general wish she would wish for, she replied “the redesign of the K-12 educational system in the U.S.”

Patrice and Keith have traveled to many countries, European and elsewhere. When Keith’s Financial Services job transferred him to the U.K., they lived there for three years. They have been to France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Switzerland, but her two most favorite trips were to Israel and Ireland. She related how when her plane landed in Ireland and set down on the tarmac, right at that moment a rainbow appeared and she saw a butterfly. She just knew that it was there especially to welcome her to Ireland. Israel was another trip she raved about for the kindness of its people, their intelligence, the agriculture, the safety precautions in effect, etc. Of particular interest was her comment that security was primarily in what you didn’t see as opposed to what you did see.

At the end of the interview Patrice was asked the special meal question. She stated that she’s not much of a “foodie” but that she absolutely loves cookies. When pressed for the menu she would choose, she stated that she’d start out with shrimp cocktail, followed by a garden salad. Then there would be Chicken Marsala, steamed rice and spinach. Dessert would consist of an assortment of cookies. (I asked, “No cake, pie, ice cream? Just cookies?” She vehemently answered, “Just cookies!”)

When Patrice has free time, besides going to the gym and babysitting her grandchildren, she belongs to the Delaware Valley University Center for Learning in Retirement. One of her favorite “courses” is an Art class where artists come and lecture on a variety of the arts (sculptors, painters, pastels, photographers, theater actors , etc,)

It was very enjoyable chatting with Patrice. I hope someday to meet her.

Report of the High School Scholarship Committee by Angela Felver, Chair

Click on photo to see Jillian thank you video

Two exceptional young women were chosen from a very competitive pool of applicants to receive our Makefield Area AAUW Branch Scholarships for 2020.  As you are undoubtedly aware, each year we invite applications from four public high schools in our area: Council Rock South, Morrisville, Neshaminy, Pennsbury, and Bucks County Technical High School.  Applicants are nominated by their guidance counselors and must be in the top 10% of their class. We are looking for young women who not only excel in their studies, but who are active, who give to others, and who we think have the potential to make important contributions to their chosen profession and to their community in the future.

The Amy Lowenstein Memorial Scholarship goes to Jillian Foster from Bucks County Technical High School, graduating from the Emergency Services program.  In addition to her outstanding academic record, Jillian volunteers as a Softball coach and for the Salvation Army, served as Treasurer of the BCTHS chapter of S.A.D.D, as the vice-president of their S.A.G.A. chapter, participated in SkillsUSA competitions for her program, and was inducted into the National Honors Society.

Jillian will be attending Penn State–Abington and is proud to have overcome adversity in her personal life to make a better future for our society.  She finds past challenges have led her to develop strong coping skills in stressful situations which will be very helpful in her chosen line of work! She knows these skills will lead her “to future success” in life, and we do too!

Click on photo to see Kristin’s thank you video

Our second scholarship recipient is Kristin Curley from Neshaminy High School.  With an ultimate goal of becoming a lawyer, Kristin has been accepted to several schools and will be attnending Saint Joseph’s University. Throughout her high school career, Kristin has participated on the soccer team, the basketball team, AAU Club basketball, the Highschool Concert Choir, served on the Mini-Thon Executive Board, been a student council member, and was inducted into the National Honor Society.  Outside of school she has volunteered her time with various charities and groups, including Athletes Helping Athletes, Special Olympics, Days for Girls, and Ronald McDonald House.

Kristin looks forward to an active college life, which she hopes to include mock trials, debate team, and Model UN extracurricular activities.  We hope that these activities can satisfy her “persistent, fearless and driven” nature to achieve her goals!

We wish both young women success in their further studies and look forward to a world that benefits from their ambitions!

The deadline to return voted mail-in ballots is 8pm.