Pathfinder Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association is offering one scholarship
to a qualified female student for the 2025-2026 academic year.

This $3000 scholarship will be offered to one deserving female student attending an accredited
college or university authorized to confer a baccalaureate degree within the United States. The
field of study is open and not specified. Those applying must be a first or second year student
in August 2025 and have been accepted at an accredited college or university.

Eligibility criteria for all applicants:
• Must be female and a citizen of the United States
• Must reside in Alameda, Santa Clara, or Contra Costa county in California
• Must have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale

Eligible women interested in applying for this $3000 scholarship must contact the Pathfinder
Chapter Professional Development Chairs Debbie Derham or Robin Sawamura.

To be considered, all applications must be completed in full online at www.sbmef.org
by May 11, 2025.

A minimum of three (3) eligible completed applications are required in order for the scholarship
to be awarded. The National Officers and Trustees of the SBMEF serve as the selection Board
for the scholarship. The scholarship recipient(s) will be notified in July 2025.

SBMEF (Stephen Bufton Memorial Educational Fund), ABWA’s national educational fund, is
one of the most highly respected grant and scholarship funds in the country. It is a 501(c)3
charitable trust and public foundation. It has the same tax status as public schools, churches
and community funds. The fund is listed in the U.S. Internal Revenue Service “Cumulative List
of Organizations” described in Section 170(c) of the IRS code of 1954 – revised Oct. 31, 1974.

All applications must be completed in full online at www.sbmef.org by May 11, 2025

Meet Thy Luong, the recipient of the $2000 Impact Scholarship sponsored by Pathfinder Chapter.

Thy is from San Jose and will be attending Yale University, an Ivy League college in New Haven, CT.

Thy plans to major in Ethics, Politics, & Economics with a focus on East Asian Studies, with the goal of influencing international policy. She plans to go to law school and focus on public service law and international law, with the goal to establish a career in either East Asian diplomacy or state/ national public office, continuing to serve her community through empathy and policy change.

She is a very accomplished student and active in many groups, include National debate teams. Thy is a poet, artist, and advocate based in San José. Her writing and art have been recognized by the New York Times, YoungArts, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and various other galleries.

She serves as San José D4 Youth Commissioner and is the founder of Learn4Justice, an international youth organization providing justice-oriented humanities education to underserved students. Thy is very enthusiastic about superhero films, youth civic engagement, and playing guitar.

Congratulations, Thy! We look forward to learning your progress and additional accomplishments!

Pathfinder Chapter is proud to award its ABWA Impact Scholarship to THY LUONG. Thy is attending Yale University and majoring in Ethics, Politics & Economics.  She plans to focus on East Asian Studies, with the goal of eventually influencing international policy in crucial regions like Vietnam (her motherland), China, and East and Southeast Asian powers. In this intersection of political science and global affairs, she hopes to also explore how US-East Asian history can inform that policy decisions we make today. Her intention is to go to law school and focus on public service law and international law. She plans to continue to serve her community through empathy and policy change.

Congratulations to Noor Dharni, who will be attending Hamilton College in upstate New  York, majoring in Psychology.  Noor has a long list of accomplishments including producting a film and podcasts.  

The Polly Olson Memorial Scholarship was issued to Adilene Vera. Adilene graduated from Newark Memorial High School and is attending Ohlone College in Fremont.  She is enrolled as a Business and Accounting major.  She also received the Ohlone Promise Scholarship, a program for high achieving students.  

Contratulations Noor and Adilne! We will be following your success and supporting you along the way!

Congratulations to Disha Yadav, who will be attending UCLA, majoring in biology. She plans to pursue post-doc studies that include research and medicine for a PhD/MD, and study renal disease.

Please also congratulate Delaney Roehrs. She will start her education at Las Positas Community College, before transferring to a 4 year university to pursue a degree in Psychology. She plans to pursue post–graduate studies to earn a PsyD and study clinical psychology. 

The Polly Olson Memorial Scholarship was issued to Aashna Patel. Aashna will begin at Ohlone College in Fremont, and transfer to a 4 year university to complete her Bachelors in Nursing.

Contratulations Disha, Delaney, and Aashna! We will be following your success and supporting you along the way!

Pathfinder Chapter was pleased to award our 2 Impact Scholarships to two deserving students in a Saturday morning “coffee clache” on July 31, 2021.

Scholarship #1:

The $2000 Impact Scholarship was awarded to Jenna Houle from Sunnyvale. Jenna will be attending Massachu-setts Institute of Technology (MIT), planning to major in bio-logical engineering, with a concentration in immunolological engineering and a minor in computer science. Jenna is a member of the am a member of the 49ers STEM Leader-ship Institute (SLI) having spent more than 2000 hours and a leadership role in the program. Driven and focused! Well deserved, Jenna. Enjoy your educational experience in Boston and wherever your advanced degree programs take you!

Scholarship #2 - Polly Olson Memorial Scholarship:

The $1000 Polly Olson Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Shannon Ly of Union City. Shannon will be starting her college studies at Chabot College in Hayward. Her interests are in the biological sciences and biomedical engineering. After 1 year at Chabot, Shannon plans to transfer to a UC university and continue to learn about medical technology and how it can advance medicine in the future.
We know Shannon will continue to excel in her studies and graduate programs, and be successful in all she does. Congratulations, Shannon!