Live Your Dream Award

Congratulations to our 2020 Live Your Dream Award Winners!

Pictured are (left to right) Conny Ramirez, Vanessa Callahan, and Aime Ortiz.  Not pictured are Sharla Bollom and our 2019 LYD winner, Xochtl Ybarra, who received a follow-up award.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we were unable to hold a banquet to celebrate our winners but we made sure they received their awards.  We wish these ladies all our best in their efforts to achieve their dreams.  Congratulations!

The Live Your Dream Awards program was established in 1972 by Soroptimist International of the Americas to assist women with primary financial responsibility for their families to obtain the skills training and education necessary to improve their employment status and standard of living for themselves and their family.

Live Your Dream Awards applicants have faced economic and social barriers, and personal hardships that have prevented them from pursuing and achieving their educational and professional goals – until now.

It is an honor to recognize and support women who persevere against very difficult obstacles for a better future for themselves and their families.

Soroptimist International of Watsonville distributes applications for the Live Your Dream Award to local community colleges, non-profit organizations, vocational and skills training programs beginning in September.  November 15 is the deadline for applications to be submitted for consideration.  The Club selects members from the community who are familiar with the Live Your Dream program to evaluate and select the award recipients.  The monetary awards are then presented in the Spring at an awards celebration.  These cash awards can be used to offset any costs associated with their education including rent, books, childcare, and transportation. 

The Club’s first-place awardee’s application is then forwarded to the Region to be evaluated with the other Region club winners.  Four Region-level winners will receive additional awards.  Then the Region’s first-place awardee’s application will be forwarded to the Federation for a final evaluation, with the Federation-level winners also receiving a cash award from Soroptimist International of the Americas.

You can find heartwarming award stories at the Soroptimist International of the Americas Live Your Dream Award web site by clicking here.

Apply for the Live Your Dream Award: