Scholarship Winners 2007
Sherylyn Greer
Sherylyn Greer is an attorney-to-be who impressed us with her motivation and
enthusiasm. Her motivation to succeed first caught our eye as she graduated
an entire year early from high school to pursue her education at an
expedited pace. Her enthusiasm for law is evident. Through her experience
with the Fresno County Sheriff Reserve Program and Victim Services Academy, Sherylyn confirmed her interest in justice and law enforcement. Her
aspiration to learn the law and reinforce what our law enforcement officers
do by prosecuting the people they arrest inspired her to pursue the path of
criminal law. Sherylyn recently completed her first year of law school at
San Joaquin College of Law. She is pursuing her Juris Doctorate,
specializing in criminal law. Prior to law school, she graduated from Cal
State Fresno with a Bachelor of Science in Criminology. She currently works
as a law clerk in the civil division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the
Federal County Courthouse. She managed to work 32 hours a week and succeed
in her first year at law school. Her long term plans are to become a
district attorney for Fresno County, and ultimately become a judge.
Nicole Reichard
Nicole has a passion for working with children with special needs. She has always known she wanted to teach, however after her first experience in coaching Special Olympics she walked away knowing the exact field she wanted to teach. She is currently enrolled in the Degree Completion Early Childhood Development Program at Fresno Pacific University, which she will be completing in January 200. Upon completion of her degree, she plans to begin the Credential and Master’s Program and teach Special Education while working toward eventually becoming an administrator for Special Education. Nicole has 2 children and has balanced their needs while getting her degree. At the same time she has volunteered with Special Olympics and been instrumental in getting the program up and running in Madera.
Janay Conley
Janay
Conley is currently a Business Banking Associate at Valley Business Bank where
she assists in organizing events, project management and customer relations. She
is a member of the Cornerstone Church in Fresno where she volunteers with
Feeding Fresno, the Red Ribbon AIDS Project, and Celebrate Recovery. She is
pursuing her Bachelor’s degree at Fresno Pacific University in Business
Management with a minor in Public Relations. Her determination and motivating
spirit has allowed her to accomplish everything she has thus far. Janay is a
huge advocate for giving hope to the hopeless, that you can accomplish your
dreams no matter where you come from or what your situation is.
Danen Adelson
At
a very early age Danen Adelson knew her life was different. Growing up in a
household where both parents were clinical psychologists and had their practices
located in their house, she was always aware of people and their reactions to
the world around them. This was the beginning of her long quest or calling in
life which became a strong passion for Danen in the study of psychology. Danen
attended the University of California, Santa Barbara where she received her
Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Psychology. She also assisted her time
as a counselor at the Santa Barbara Rape Crisis, help coordinate the Santa
Barbara Heart & Soul/AIDS Walk and Run and participated in the Toys for Tots
program. Danen has had great opportunities to explore her passion in
laboratories studying under the supervision of a Nobel Laureate of Chemistry,
working for the chair of the psychology department in his Research Center for
Virtual Environments and Behavior and working as a counselor for the Rape Crisis
Center in Santa Barbara. All these experiences fueled Danen to continue her
studies in Psychology and help her pursue her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.
Danen will be attending Wright University in the Fall and has the long-term goal
of becoming a licensed psychologist and offering her expertise to the members of
her local community.
Stacie Hines – Susan Melkonian Scholarship Recipient
Stacie’s
motivation and career focus are based on three main goals – to develop skills to
operate a nonprofit organization or business, to remain philanthropically
engaged in her community, and to share knowledge and experiences with future
leaders. Stacie currently works at the EOC Local Conservation Corps, which is a
job training program for youth, where she manages a national service program
called AmeriCorps. Described as a domestic Peace Corps, Americorps allows
individuals to do a year of service addressing education, environmental, health,
and public safety needs in the community. Because of this program, she has
developed a passion for economic and business development because it has a
direct correlation to the City’s rates of unemployment, homelessness, and crime.
She believes that attending business school at California State University,
Fresno will provide her the opportunity to discover what elements drive
businesses to succeed in Fresno and in turn, its citizens. By obtaining her
Master’s degree she will be qualified to teach non-profit management and other
business classes at local community colleges. In this capacity, she will be able
to share her mission and vision with fellow coworkers, mentees and students.