Trail-blazing women recognized in Abilene
Five women of Abilene were honored Monday as women of outstanding achievement in addition to five female scholarship winners who were declared as women with promise and courage.
The Women of Outstanding Achievement recognized Jennifer Eller, Patty Fuentes, Kari Long, Amanda O'Connor and Jessica Simonetti for their contributions to Abilene and its surrounding communities.
From volunteering with children to mentoring single mothers to championing mental wellness, these women were recognized for their impact on the underprivileged in the area.
Also recognized were Sheila Eckhardt, Angie Dominguez, Jessica Jeter, Faizah Alabi and Erika Yourdan. These scholarship recipients were honored as trailblazers in their own right. They represented a group of nontraditional female students pursuing higher education in Abilene and its surrounding counties.
'Opportunity to share my story'
Kari Long said the award was so meaningful to her because there are so many other great women who deserved recognition as well.
She said she is thankful that this award will allow her "the opportunity to share my story with others" and perhaps inspire them to volunteer in the future as well.
Long has over 30 years of experience in the teaching profession and works in Abilene ISD, where she mentors women of color in hopes of helping them overcome educational barriers.
She is a pillar of the educational community, but her reach extends past the classroom as she also mentors youth and is active in her church community.
Long is just one shining example of the class of women honored yesterday at the Hendrick Home for Children.
'Shed light on the struggles'
The scholarship winners also represent the best of Abilene and its surrounding communities. These women have returned to their studies after some period of time with an immense desire to further themselves and their families.
The winners are pursuing everything from a nursing degree to a doctorate in pharmaceutical studies and beyond. Erika Yourdan was among the winners and was extremely grateful for her post-graduate scholarship award.
Yourdan said the $2,500 scholarship was just enough to cover the last course of her graduate career.
She said higher education comes with staggering costs, and she had previously found that few scholarships are available to nontraditional students. The Women of Promise and Courage scholarship, however, came as "just a relief for my family."
Yourdan will use the scholarship to complete her doctorate so she can begin research on women's mental health issues.
She said she hopes it will help "bring awareness to and shed light on the struggles that otherwise overlooked women go through every day."
The Women of Promise & Courage scholarships "were originally established by the Abilene Branch of the American Association of University Women," according to the organization's website. The AAUW was originally established in 1881, and the Abilene branch followed in 2023.
Their goal is "to recognize and honor women of diverse cultures, roles, and accomplishments who have demonstrated commitment to the betterment of the Abilene region through significant voluntary contributions."
The scholarship pool is wide-reaching and allows applicants from Brown to Callahan to Haskell counties and more. It focuses on nontraditional students, 25 or older, who are "returning to higher education after some period of time in which their formal education was interrupted," according to the website.
Applications for the award and scholarships will open in the fall. Winners will be named in April 2025.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Trail-blazing women recognized in Abilene
