Y-EWOC Scholarship Program

EXCEPTIONAL Y-EWOC Scholarship Program

14TH ANNUAL EWOC AWARDS & EXPO

Today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders and business owners. Our mission is to inspire young women to seek successful opportunities and affect positive change in their communities. Our purpose is to empower young women to embrace their strengths and to reach their full potential in the career world. For the past 13 years our Young Women’s Summit has featured locally recognized young women who share their own insights on college, career building, entrepreneurship and how to address challenges that are attributed to the strides of success.

The annual Young Exceptional Women of Color (Y-EWOC) Scholarship Competition has assisted young women of color, ages 14-21, with a $500 award toward higher education. The goal of this scholarship is to encourage young women of color to pursue their dreams and secure the education and skills needed to make them a reality.

This year we are presenting a total of three (3) scholarship awards in the amount of $500 for each student. These young women were selected based on their submission of their scholarship application that included resumes, letter of recommendation, and an excellent essay about “What Makes An Exceptional Woman of Color?”

Zyan Cagnolatti

Zyan Cagnolatti is a 20 year old graduate student at the University of Southern California. She graduated in 2022 from Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Spanish. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in Physical Therapy in the Division of Bio-kinesiology and Physical Therapy Program at USC. Her goal is to specialize in Orthopedic Physical Therapy, Sports Physical Therapy, and Spinal Physical Therapy. In the future, she hopes to work for a professional sports team, like the Los Angeles Lakers, as well as owning an outpatient clinic. In her spare time, she likes to bake for her family, play soccer, and collect sneakers. Essay excerpt:

She is an exceptional woman of color in the fields of STEM and health sciences which is a career path dominated by white males. She knows nothing less of being exceptional because of the exceptional of women of color who came before her and raised her. She wouldn’t be who she was without her mother, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers: a product of exceptional black women. She wants to be among those who strive for excellence and success. It motivates her to do the same for those who will come after her. It gives her the intrinsic drive that she needs to conquer her goals and face her fears. An exceptional woman of color is a woman who can face adversity with grace and class; she is able to adapt to any situation with her best efforts.

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14TH ANNUAL EWOC AWARDS & EXPO

Honesty Hunter

Honesty Hunter, a Stockton native, is a 21 year old junior at Sacramento State University. She is majoring in studio art, with a desire to minor in Asian Studies to expand her career choices. Honesty wants to become a video game graphic designer. In her spare time she enjoys dancing and caring for her cat at home. Essay excerpt:

I was raised in Stockton for nearly my whole life, and having my father and mother taking turns raising me was definitely a barrier, but because of them, they both taught me how to be a successful black woman. My mother taught me how to nurture and express my emotions to others who needed help. While my father taught me how to work hard at whatever I’m doing and constantly hustle, I never took an easy route in life. Once I finally arrived in Sacramento, I was elated, but soon came to understand I was on my own. I found a place to stay near my university and worked at a retail store near me. The place wasn’t catering to me, especially in a work environment where I’m constantly overshadowed for my hard work ethic. Being the only African American woman there definitely made me feel a little inferior, but I was taught to never settle for less, and certainly I didn’t.

Larriah Jackson

Seventeen year old Larriah Jackson has been performing vocally since the age of 3. In 2020 Larriah was a contestant on NBC’s The Voice. She wowed Coach Gwen Stefani singing I’ll Be There by the Jackson 5. She graduated from St. Francis High School in Sacramento and now attends the illustrious Howard University in Washington, DC. Larriah’s dream is to someday be both a professional entertainer and a Physician Assistant. Look out world here she comes. Essay excerpt:

Adversity is not a foreign topic to women of color. Not only are we expected to conform to society’s standard of femininity we must also remain racially conscious and act “accordingly”. Going to a predominately white, all girls, Catholic school in my hometown truly exposed me to the bitter truth of adversity. An exceptional woman of color does not conform or change due to lack of fitting the standard, yet at times it seemed impossible not to. High school is supposed to be a place where you discover who you want to be. In my case I couldn’t live in my true feelings or emotions because I didn’t want to be perceived as angry or too emotional. I couldn’t always vocalize my point of view because I didn’t want to be the “spokesperson” for all women of color at the institution. I can recall times when an articulated, opposing comment in a religion class led to a conversation with the dean about the natural intimidation a black woman exudes. Adversity isn’t always so simple to point out. Adversity tends to make you censor your everyday activities without even realizing you’re doing so. It took a very long time for me to recognize the mistreatment I experienced as a young black woman on that campus, but the aftermath has forced me to always recognize my own worth and beauty since not all people do.