TRUCKEE, Calif. – On April 27, Soroptimist International of Truckee-Donner honored a Woman of Distinction during its most important award night of the year. The group honored Megan Seiffert, Founder of Headwaters Science Institute, for her many years encouraging and educating youth in science. She founded the Headwaters Science Institute, which has a mission of “fostering curiosity through science,” to encourage youth to understand and pursue science.

Seiffert was awarded $500 to donate to the charity of her choice, which was Headwaters Science Institute.

Kim Bateman, Dean, Sierra College Tahoe-Truckee Campus, inspired attendees with her keynote speech which highlighted the discrepancy of wages between men and women and then shared an ancient fable about climbing a glass mountain and locating the tools or guidance to get to the top. Bateman concluded by noting how the awards given this night helped women achieve our goals.

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SITD provided over $27,000 in financial awards for scholarships and grants. The Live Your Dream ($10,000) was awarded to women with dependents needing financial aid to improve their career opportunities. The winners included Jazmin Garcia, Angele Marie Carroll, Christy Kathleen Goldsworthy, and Sydney Taylor.

The Career Advancement Scholarship ($16,000) was awarded to women who want to improve their careers through additional education or training. Winners were Malenie Coral, Sabrina Futral, Perla Mendez Mayra Plascencia, Araceli Lopez,and Jasmine Sanchez. SITD was able to increase the amount of money for these scholarships this year because of generous grants from Martis and the Truckee Airport District.

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The Violet Richardson Award is for a high school girl who volunteers in her community. It was given to Zuridey Vazquez-Lopez from North Tahoe High School. She was awarded $300 for herself and $300 for the charity of her choice, which was the Humane Society of Truckee.

Entertainment was provided by Coco Lowe with her brother Elliot on the guitar. According to a press release, “her powerful and beautiful voice stole the show!”

President, Denise Trani-Morris was Master of Ceremonies, and the event was held at the Glenshire Clubhouse.

“Thanks to the hard work of our members, and generous donations made to our club, SITD was able to make a significant impact on the career and educational goals of women living and working in our community.We look forward to many future successes from these bright women,” said Denise Trani-Morris, SITD President.