Every year in February, the AAUW Santa Barbara InterBranch Council holds a luncheon. This year’s event was joined by the San Luis Obispo Interbranch Council and held at the Santa Maria Country Club on Saturday, February 9, 2013. 100 women from the Santa Barbara-Goleta, Lompoc-Vandenberg, Santa Maria, Five Cities, Atascadero, and San Luis Obispo Branches gathered for the AAUW California Central Coast Fellows Luncheon.
There are 42 AAUW Funds Fellows and Grant Recipients studying at California Colleges and Universities or doing projects in communities during 2012-2013. At this Luncheon we celebrate these Fellows and Recipients. We were fortunate to host 3 specific Fellows and hear their story, and a description of their work:
Zamira Yusufjonova, Tajikistan – International Fellowship – Ph.D., History, UCSB
Zamira Yusufjonova’s project assesses the Bolshevik emancipation of Muslim women in Tajikistan, a former republic of the Soviet Union. It seeks to explain why the same regime that rushed to forcibly unveil and liberate Muslim women of Central Asia in the 1920s nevertheless put up with their subordinate position at home and at work after WW II.
Amber Gonzalez – American Fellowship – Ph.D., Chicana/o Cultural Studies, UCSB
Project: Mujeres de Maiz, Spiritual Activism, and the Creation of Sacred Spaces in LA
Amber Rose Gonzalez’s research focuses on Chicana feminism and folklore. Her work identifies decolonization strategies deployed by Chicanas in artistic cultural spaces. As a cultural activist and scholar, her goal is to generate research that empowers communities and creates social transformation.
Andrea Johnson – Career Development Grant – M.A., Strategic Public Relations, USC
Andrea Johnson is pursuing her Master’s Degree in Strategic Public Relations at the University of Southern California. After completing the Master’s Program, she hopes to help nonprofit organizations develop memorable and compelling campaigns that will increase the awareness of that particular organization and also increase supporters, particularly those with focus on human trafficking and child advocacy.
Special Guests at the luncheon included:
Alice Hetman, AAUW California President
Sharon Westafer, AAUW CA Director, AAUW Funds
These (usually young) ladies exemplify the women of tomorrow, women seeking to understand, change, and improve the world we live in through their work, their attitudes, and their lives. They gave very impressive and informative presentations to a very attentive audience. We applaud them for their energy and enterprising work.
This is always a wonderful opportunity for us to see old friends, share great conversations with interesting women over fine cuisine, share what is happening in our own branches, and listen to exciting presentations.