Scholarship Winners 2006
Ronna Lee Bright
Ronna
Lee Bright holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminology/Corrections and is
currently pursuing a Master of Social Work (MSW) from California State
University, Fresno. The rigorous MSW program requires 16-24 hours of fieldwork
per week in addition to classroom time. She is conducting current fieldwork as a
medical social worker for Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno which is
emotionally and physically demanding. There, she is involved in crisis
intervention and spends most of her time in the emergency department and the
intensive care unit. Her next field assignment will be the Marjaree Mason
Center, a non-profit domestic violence shelter. This is all in addition to her
full-time job as a Retirement Plan Administrator. She has also loaned an
influential hand to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She single-handedly
raised nearly $2,000 for the Society and currently supports the Society’s Team
in Training members and staff. Ronna’s educational experiences have sparked her
pursuit of “the self-development and empowerment of women at risk.” She told the
scholarship committee that she has “a passion for women and their uniqueness;
their relationships with others; and their responses to life.”
Renee Cozens
Renee
Cozens is an ambitious woman with a warm and generous heart. She is currently
enrolled in an intense program with Regis University to receive her master’s
degree in Non-Profit Management. Renee feels extremely grateful to have found a
master’s program that allows her to put into practice what she learns in the
classroom. Currently she is employed by the Alisa Ann Ruch Foundation, a
non-profit organization that seeks to enhance the quality of life for burn
survivors and to educate children and the community about burn prevention. Renee
feels that she is gaining the skills necessary to fulfill her career objective,
to become an Executive Director of a Non-profit.
She also loves to volunteer in her spare time, the little time that is available
with working full time for a non-profit and earning a master’s degree. Over the
last 11 years Renee has been heavily involved with the Young Life organization
and currently attends their weekly meetings and assists in any way possible.
Renee is a joyful, passionate person that makes the best from life and feels
that this career path is molding her into a better person. You often hear Renee
say, “I love my job” and we are proud to have her as a returning recipient of
the Fresno Women’s Scholarship.
Cherie Smith
Cherie
Smith was one of only 30 students chosen from across the United States and
Puerto Rico to attend the U.S. Army Military Police National Law Enforcement
Explorer Academy held in Fort Leonard, Missouri last July. She was one of the
smallest students who attended the eight-day training camp but she came away the
biggest hero after saving a man nearly three times her size. During a rappel
exercise on a 40-foot tower, Smith saw that an instructor’s knee gave out and he
was falling head first, out of control. Cherie held on to the rope, stopping the
300-pound instructor’s fall and searing her hand. She was awarded the
Commander’s Award for Public Service from the Department of the Army. That day
set Cherie’s destiny.
Cherie graduated from high school at the age of 15. She earned a degree in
Administration of Justice from College of the Sequoias in Visalia. Cherie is now
working towards a Criminology degree at California State University, Fresno and
plans to pursue a Master’s degree in the future. Cherie’s passion is in law
enforcement and she has a deep desire to combine that passion with her love of
helping people. Cherie regularly volunteers at the Visalia Rescue Mission. For
three years she has been part of the Police Explorers and Sheriff Explorers
programs. She is now the captain of the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office
Headquarters Explorer Post. Cherie has volunteered at the Tulare County
Sheriff’s Office Explorer Academy and summer camp. She is also an instructor for
the Red Cross. Cherie says “I want to be that person that is helping take crime
out of our streets, but also to help troubled people see a reason to change
their lives and have a positive vision for their future.”