Santa Clarita Valley Zonta Club officials awarded $8,790 in scholarships and community grants at their monthly business meeting on Wednesday.

Master’s College student Michaela Brazil won this year’s $1,000 Jane M. Klausman Women in Business scholarship, Canyon High School senior Summer-anne Jimenez won the $1,000 Young Women in Public Affairs scholarship and two community organizations were awarded $5,790 in grants, according to a Zonta Club news release. 

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Brazil and Jimenez are now both eligible for additional scholarships, and they will also have the opportunity to advance to the Zonta International competition for even bigger cash awards, officials said.

“There are a disproportionately small number of women employed in the field of wealth management,” said Brazil, who will enter her senior year as an accounting and finance major at Master’s College in the fall. “Instead of viewing this as an obstacle, I see it as evidence of a shortage indicative of an unfilled demand. I have always aspired to run my own company, and will not limit my aspirations.”

Related Article: Santa Clarita Valley Zonta Club To Present $8K In Grants, Scholarships

Brazil has earned numerous business scholarships and earned the President’s List Award all three years she has attended college. As the oldest of eight children, she has taken on the responsibility of paying for her own education to ensure her siblings have a chance to attend college as well.

She is relying on her Zonta scholarship to complete her final year of undergraduate education, with her ultimate goal being to earn a master’s degree in business management so she can become a personal wealth manager.

Because Brazil was unable to attend the meeting, she is scheduled to receive her award at the next business meeting in June, according to the news release.

Jimenez is an advocator of women’s rights to education, and participated in the screening of the film, “The Girl Rising” to commemorate The International Day of the Girl.

“Luckily enough, in my country, women’s rights are not as violated as they are in other countries,” she said. “However, there are still issues we face of discrimination and segregation in the workplace… By achieving my goals, I can show young women across the world that anything is possible.”

Jimenez is a member and secretary of the Student Task Force at Canyon High, which advocates human rights worldwide, is active in the California Scholarship Federation and is a Junior Board advisory member of The Shoe Cew, which distributes new footwear to needy children in Los Angeles.

She plans to study mechanical and environmental engineering in college, focusing on the ways humans impact the environment.

Zonta’s Young Women in Public Affairs Committee also awarded $600 to first runner-up Lorel Sim, a junior at West Ranch High School, and $400 to second runner-up Nandi Moore, a senior at Golden Valley High School, officials said.

Sim plans to become a corporate attorney or environmental lawyer, while Moore is working toward becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon.

Two out of nine eligible community organizations were selected for grants based on Zonta’s mission of improving the lives of women and girls, according to the news release.

Northeast Valley Health Corporation received a $3,000 community grant to expand its Santa Clarita health center by adding a women’s health suite and a power exam table to help the center serve disabled patients, as well as obstetrics/gynecology patients.

SCV Youth Project was awarded $2,790 to serve more than 100 female students through individual mentoring, case management and support programming at Santa Clarita junior high and high schools.

The SCV Zonta Club’s mission is to improve the lives of women through service, advocacy and awareness. For more information, click here. 

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