Each year, the Texas Conference for Women, thanks to the generosity of its sponsors, awards six $5,000 scholarships to outstanding female college students who balance academics, service, and leadership to make a difference in the community. Scholarships were given in each of the following categories:

• The Arts
• Business
• Education
• Nursing
• Math and Science
• Public Service

2008 Scholarship Recipients

THE ARTS

At an early age, Amanda Burgess began helping others by teaching art classes for underprivileged children at a local school and leading an acting/set design program for younger girls at a Girl Scouts camp. After graduating from high school as salutatorian, she enrolled at the University of North Texas to study Art, Creative Writing, and Learning Technologies and has maintained a 4.0 grade point average. Today she continues to help others by creating study guides that bring a conceptual approach to learning. Amanda hopes to turn this idea into an online forum, providing hands-on experience for a future career in educational and entertainment game design.

BUSINESS

Rebekah Cuellar is a senior at Houston Baptist University majoring in Business Administration, Accounting, and Spanish. She is in three honor societies, serves as the president of Students in Free Enterprise, and holds leadership positions in several other campus and community organizations. Raised by immigrant parents, Rebekah’s difficult experience learning English in elementary school motivated her to succeed in academics. She now uses her bilingual skills to serve as a translator for a ministry team that travels to Nicaragua every spring break. She hopes to attend law school, specialize in public interest law and become a positive role model for minority women.

NURSING

Christin Smith, a student at the University of Texas at Arlington, plans to be the first in her family to graduate from college. Growing up in the inner city, she watched her mother struggle to make ends meet, sometimes doing her homework with a flashlight since there was no money for the electric bill. Her dream is to become a pediatrician for inner city children, and serve not just as a health care provider, but also as a role model and a friend.

NURSING

Yvette Woody’s first memories of nurses are the ones who cared for the bruises she received from an abusive mother and in foster homes. In 1988, as single mother just out of an abusive marriage, she entered nursing school. While at school, a supportive instructor helped her find a pharmacy job to help pay for school. In 2006, she finally received her RN-BSN degree after overcoming the struggles of raising five children, almost losing a child in an accident, and caring for a sister dying of cancer. She recently entered the MSN program at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center for Nursing and plans to serve others.

PUBLIC SERVICE

Isla Kristina Flores-Bayer attends the University of Texas at Austin. As a child from a historically low-income Austin neighborhood, she became aware of the community’s cultural and socioeconomic differences at a young age. Feeling discouraged, she dropped out of high school but later entered a dual enrollment program to receive her high school diploma and earn college credit. Her exposure to higher education and volunteer opportunities with underprivileged children, fueled her interest in public service. She has held internships with the Texas Legislature and served as a precinct delegate in the Travis County Convention. She plans to pursue a law degree and practice civil rights law.

MATH & SCIENCE

	Heather Bassett recently began pursuing an M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling at the University of North Texas. Growing up with retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that causes progressive deterioration of the retina and cornea, and having two sisters with sickle cell anemia, Heather understands the important role a rehabilitation counselor plays in helping others move from a position of psychological and economic dependence to one of independence. Her own visual impairment has inspired her to help adults negotiate their own journey through vision loss.
EDUCATION
	Elizabeth Castille is fulfilling a childhood dream by attending Texas A&M University. After her parents’ divorce and her mother’s subsequent neglect, Elizabeth and her brother lived with their grandparents and handicapped great-grandmother. While fighting low self-esteem throughout her schooling, she credits amazing teachers for helping her discover herself. As a mentor to young children through a peer assistance and leadership program, Elizabeth realizes how important it is for children to have the resources and opportunities they need to succeed. Her goal is to teach elementary school and help foster those successes.

We would love to be able to help all of the deserving women who apply for these scholarships. If every Conference attendee donated just $5, we could award an additional $30,000 in scholarships!
 
Please consider a donation of any amount to the 2009 Texas Conference for Women Scholarship Program to help us make a difference in even more lives. You can mail a donation check to:
Texas Conference for Women
Scholarship Program
P.O. Box 12944
Austin, TX 78711
The Texas Conference for Women is a 501(c)3, federal tax ID # 742947735 and contributions are tax-deductible.

Thank you for helping Texas women achieve their dreams! A very special thanks to Continental Airlines for providing airline tickets and HP for providing laptops to each of the scholarship recipients.