Monday, June 21, 2021

#thankyou

 


Meet SIM's "Live your Dream 2021" Award Winner

The 2021 Live Your Dream Awardee is Jennifer.

Joy Thompson, our Live Your Dream Chair, briefly described the Live Your Dream award, a unique Soroptimist education award for women who provide the primary financial support for their families and have overcome obstacles in meeting their goals and responsibilities. The Live Your Dream awards give women the resources they need to improve their education, skills and employment prospects. Joy spoke of the competitive selection process this year.  Among other strong candidates, Jennifer impressed Joy and the judging panel with her goals for the future, with the importance she placed on setting an example for her children, and with her desire to make a difference for other women in setting a path toward leadership.

Jennifer then spoke to us about her family, her goals, and her impressive progress toward meeting those goals, even in the face obstacles during the past year. A single mother of a 12-year-old son and a seven-year-old daughter, Jennifer recounted how challenging it had been to complete her last semester of an associate degree during Spring 2020, with the pandemic suspending in-person learning for her as well as for her children. Despite the challenges, she managed to maintain a high grade-point average.  Fortunately, she had already completed her applications to four-year undergraduate programs by the time the pandemic changed their lives. Jennifer was thrilled to be accepted into the New York University’s Division of Applied Undergraduate Studies, where she is now pursuing her bachelor’s degree with a major in Business Management and Leadership. Her goal is to work hard and someday achieve a position as CFO or COO, setting a good example for her children and to other women to take their place in positions of power in organizations, with a voice at the table. She also wants them to know that although they may sometimes have to take a break in pursuing their goals, they should never give up.