Grants and Scholarships
2009 Current Recipients
Pictured left to right: Jana Rohrbach, Valerie Saunders, Laura Swinyer and Erin Crown.
Laura Swinyer - Evelyn Chostner Marboe AAUW - State College Branch Scholarship
Laura, also last year’s Marboe winner, plans to graduate in 2010. She is the single parent of a sixteen year-old daughter who was born facing many challenges. Laura is a major in Communications Advertising and Public Relations with plans to enter law school. This year Laura was thrilled to be accepted into the Legal Environment of Business (LEBUS) minor in the Smeal School of Business. During law school Laura plans to train in the public service area of American Civil Liberties law so that she can build and restore doctor/patient relationships and bridge the gaps between the internal and external stakeholders of health care institutions. Having a history of advocating for her daughter’s health care needs led Laura to serve on various government agencies at the local, state and federal level. She currently volunteers as a special education consultant for a kindergarten student in the Bellefonte Area School District and serves on the PA Office of Medical Assistance Advisory Committee evaluating program quality and outcomes for PA residents served by the ACCESS Plus, PA State division of medical care. In Laura’s own words “embracing adversity offers unexpected opportunities and valuable learning experiences.”
Erin Crown - Simmons-Jansma Project Renew Grant
Simmons-Jansma winner Erin Crown, a single mother of three daughters, is a full-time student at Lock Haven University where she is a Health Science major with an emphasis in the Pre-Physicians Assistant track. She will complete her Bachelor of Science degree in 2011 and plans to enter a Physician Assistant Professional Program upon graduation. Erin volunteers at Centre Hall-Potter Elementary School and Grace Prep High School and works part-time at Pro-Care Physical Therapy in Centre Hall. An in-home daycare business, serving her church as volunteer Director of Children’s Ministries, running a Vacation Bible School which raised over $500 to send to an inner-city youth center, constructing gift baskets for the hospital to distribute to new mothers in Penns Valley, working for a home health agency caring for elderly individuals at night and establishing a painting business have certainly kept Erin busy. In Erin’s words she ”shares with AAUW a similar vision to be a powerful advocate and a visible leader in the lives of my daughters so that they will be powerful advocates and visible leaders in the lives of the children they currently encounter of a daily basis, and the lives of women and girls that they encounter throughout their lifetime.”
Jana Rohrbach and Valerie Saunders - State College Branch AAUW Scholarship
The State College Branch AAUW Scholarship winners are Jana Rohrbach and Valerie Saunders.
Jana Rohrbach is also a repeat winner from last year. In addition to being a mother of six, Jana is a junior at Penn State majoring in Human Development and Family Studies in the College of Health and Human Development and specializing in Family Relationships. Jana volunteers at the Women’s Resource Center as well as with the new Safe Exchange Center established after the recent murder of a local woman by her former spouse while exchanging their child. With her degree Jana writes that she plans to work as a crisis counselor using her life experiences and education “to reach out to women who find themselves living in dire circumstances; to lift them up and out through empathy, determination, and education”.
Valerie Saunders is a Penn State student who is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in the College of Health and Human Development with a major in Health and Human Development. Valerie is a single mother of four children who had her first child at the age of fifteen. After having another child during her senior year in High School she dropped out and eventually lived on welfare, eating and sleeping in shelters. Enrollment in a drug rehabilitation program and completing a twelve-step program enabled Valerie to begin a fresh start and she enrolled in Penn State. Helping the elderly at a nursing home, volunteering at the local food bank, mentoring at State College Area High School and assisting elementary school children with their homework are Valerie’s volunteer activities. Valerie would like to obtain a Master’s degree in Psychology so that she can help others by becoming a Drug and Alcohol counselor and writes that “this grant will help me by fulfilling my dream to help others who are experiencing the same obstacles that I went through."
2008 Past Recipients
Laura Swinyer - Evelyn Chostner Marboe AAUW - State College Branch Scholarship
Laura Swinyer is a student in the College of Communications and would like to obtain a Master’s
Degree from the Dickinson School of Law Public Policy Program. In Laura’s own words she intends “to
labor for an American health care reform that streamlines patient safety codes and strengthens the
three cornerstones of health care: costs, quality and access”. A single mother with a disabled
daughter, Laura is a dedicated volunteer who founded the Family Connection of Central PA, Inc., a
grassroots advocacy group for disabled students. The State College Area School District Special Education
Department has contracted with Family Connection to have Laura conduct parent training on changes
regarding federal legislation, parent’s rights and supports for students with disabilities.
Certainly Laura is a perfect fit for the Marboe award.
Jana Rohrbach - Simmons-Jansma Project Renew Grant Scholarship
Jana Rohrbach is the mother of six children. Her passion is to obtain an education in order to assist
struggling women and children in crisis. Jana writes that she plans to use her degree in Health and
Human Development “to encourage women to become independent and empowered through education”.
Upon completion of her degree, Jana hopes to work as a Crisis Counselor and to advocate for women
and children through volunteer organizations.
Centrice Martin - State College Branch AAUW Scholarship
Pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness Management, Centrice Martin plans to graduate by
December 2009. Centrice completed an internship with the Department of Agricultural Economics and
Rural Sociology where she met with prospective students and assisted in creating recruiting materials
and is thinking of a career in marketing or public relations. Daughter of a single mother and becoming
pregnant herself during her senior year of high school in 2002, Centrice writes that “I decided
to do whatever it took to give my child a better life”. As stated in one of her letters of
support, “Centrice’s potential is unlimited”
Gwyn Phillips and Carol (Buffy)
Holt - State College Branch AAUW Scholarship
The committee decided to split the final State College Branch Scholarship between two women who
are about to complete their degrees and who both have been prior scholarship recipients.
Gwyn Phillips: Although she suffers from grave physical illness she is currently working to combine her twelve remaining credits into one big Integrative Arts project and will graduate in December 2008. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts, Gwyn plans to work towards a master’s degree focusing on the arts, anthropology, and on children. Gwyn is also a single mother whose daughter will graduate from Penn’s Valley High School this year.
Carol (Buffy) Holt: Holt, a major in Security and Risk Analysis with an Information and Cyber Crime option, earned an Associate’s Degree in 2003. After returning to college in 2006 she suffered health reverses and is currently fighting a difficult divorce settlement. Buffy also plans to graduate in December 2008.