SHE Awards $22,500 in Scholarships

SHE Awards $22,500 in Scholarships

Posted on June 22, 2023

As part of Self-Help Enterprise’s commitment to helping our communities grow and thrive, SHE offers the Doris “Do” Dooley Scholarship. It is named after SHE’s former Board member and dedicated friend of the organization. 

This summer, SHE awarded $22,500 in scholarships to sixteen students from families that have participated in one of our programs. The awards ranging from $1,000 to $2,250, were available to students who plan to continue their education through a full-time vocational or trade school, community college, or four-year university.  

SHE’s Board Members, Yolanda Meraz and Olivia Gomez, had the opportunity to represent SHE and attend the scholarship ceremony of some of the award recipients.  

Yolanda celebrated with Janessa Marquez from Orestimba High School in Newman, who received a $1,000 scholarship. Janessa lives with her family in the Rolling Hills Apartments, a SHE rental community in Newman. Janessa is graduating with a 4.0 GPA and plans to attend Jessup University to become a schoolteacher.  

Olivia congratulated Stephanie Vargas-Moreno, who graduated from Le Grand High School with a 4.1 GPA. Stephanie received a $1,750 scholarship.  She grew up in a home built by her family in Planada through SHE’s Mutual Self-Help Housing program. She plans to attend UC Merced or UC San Diego to major in psychology to be a school counselor. 

After reviewing this year’s applications, a committee of SHE’s Board of Directors selected the following award winners based on academic merit and commitment to community service. 

2023 DORIS “DO” DOOLEY SCHOLARSHIP AWARD RECIPIENTS:

This student was chosen to receive a scholarship of $2,250: 

• Lizeth Ramos-Heredia (Multifamily Housing – Parksdale) Lizeth lives with her family at Parksdale Village in Madera. She will graduate from high school with a 4.4 GPA, which places her 17th in her class of almost 500. Her plan is to begin her college career at Madera Community College with the eventual goal of studying chemistry or biological science in order to work in a laboratory. 

These students were chosen to receive scholarships of $1,750 each: 

• Hela Bakhtani (Gustine Self-Help Housing) Hela lives in a home built by her parents in Gustine. She is graduating with a GPA of 3.8 and plans to attend CSU Fresno on her way to becoming a nurse. 
• Gizelle Castillo (Woodlake Self-Help Housing) Gizelle is a previous scholarship winner. Her family built their home in Woodlake. She is currently attending CSU Fresno with the goal of returning to her hometown as a teacher. 

“Attending college was not only a dream of mine, but also what my parents hoped for me. As much as my parents encourage me to attend college, I knew that there was no manner in which my parents could afford it. However, with the help of this scholarship there is great financial relief for both my parents and myself. This generous donation is very helpful in pursuing my major, liberal studies. With this major, I hope to become an elementary school teacher and hopefully come back to my hometown of Woodlake to give back to my community.”  — Gizelle Castillo Alvarez 

• Diego Garcia (Multifamily Housing – Newman) Diego and his family have lived at Rolling Hills for 12 years. He is currently in his second year at UC Berkeley while maintaining a GPA of 3.6. He plans to become a teacher with the ultimate goal of running for California Superintendent of Schools. 
• Jessica Lopez (Dos Palos Self-Help Housing) Jessica lives in a home built by her parents in Dos Palos. She is graduating from high school with a 4.3 GPA. She will attend either UC Merced or CSU Fresno with the goal of majoring in criminology and becoming a detective. 
• Monique Romero (Woodlake Self-Help Housing) Monique is a previous scholarship winner. She was a volunteer helper as each of her sisters built their own homes. She is currently maintaining a 4.0 GPA at CSU Fresno with the goal of becoming a nurse. 

“WOW this is amazing news! I will forever be grateful for you and the Self-Help Enterprises Program. This program has given the opportunity for many Woodlake residents to build their dream home in our small but beautiful community, and has helped me a large amount in my education. –Monique Romero 

• Kathy Torres (Planada Self-Help Housing) Kathy is a previous scholarship winner who built her own home in Planada. She is finishing her Master of Social Work Program with a 4.0 GPA at CSU Stanislaus. 
• Stephanie Vargas-Moreno – (Planada Self-Help Housing) Stephanie grew up in a home built by her family in Planada. She is graduating from Le Grand High School with a 4.1 GPA. She will attend UC Merced or UC San Diego to major in psychology with the goal of being a school counselor. 

These students were chosen to receive scholarships of $1,000 each: 

• Valerie Boylan (Clovis Emergency Services) Valerie is a previous scholarship winner. Her family’s well went dry, and SHE provided them a temporary tank. She is currently maintaining a GPA of 3.7 at Lenoir Rhyne University in North Carolina. Her goal is to become a pediatric special needs occupational therapist. 
• Juan Espinoza Juan is a previous SHE scholarship winner and is currently attending CSU Bakersfield with a 3.6 GPA. He has been working as an intern and plans to be a mechanical engineer. 
• Janessa Marquez (Multifamily Housing – Newman) Janessa lives with her family in the Rolling Hills Apartments in Newman. She is graduating high school with a 4.0 GPA and plans to attend Jessup University to become a school teacher. 
• Maria Mendoza Maria is a previous SHE scholarship winner and is attending CSU Fresno with a GPA of 3.9. She plans on working as a daycare instructor. 
• Beatriz Silva Beatriz is a previous SHE scholarship winner and is currently attending CSU Fresno with a GPA of 2.7. Beatriz explained that she became ill during the last school term and missed several classes causing her to fall behind. She is now passing all her classes and retaking the ones she didn’t pass. She expects her GPA to return to its previous range of 3.5. 
• Lizeth Suarez (Emergency Services – Chowchilla) Lizeth and her family are receiving hauled water deliveries as they await installation of a new well. She is currently attending Azusa Pacific University with a 3.5 GPA and plans to work as a nurse in a dermatology practice. 
• Karen Valdez (Multifamily Housing – Madera) Karen lives with her mother and siblings in Parksdale Village. She is currently attending Madera Community College and carrying a 3.7 GPA. She plans to become an immigration attorney. 
• Leslie Vasquez Leslie is a previous SHE scholarship winner and is currently at the end of her second year at UCLA with a GPA of 2.8. She is taking STEM courses to potentially become a civil engineer.