Live Your Dream Award

For the Live Your Dream Award nationally every year, Soroptimist distributes more than $2.9 million in education awards to over 2,000 women all over the world. Over half of the recipients are survivors of domestic violence, trafficking or sexual assault. Nearly all of the women and families we serve have overcome enormous obstacles including poverty, teen pregnancy, and drug or alcohol addiction. Recipients may use the cash award to offset any costs associated with their efforts to attain higher education, such as books, childcare, tuition and transportation. 

Typically, the club awards one $2,500 scholarship each year to a local woman who provides the primary financial support for her family, giving her the resources she needs to improve her education, skills, and employment prospects. Applicants must be enrolled in or accepted to a vocational/skills training program, high school equivalency, or undergraduate degree program, have financial needs, and be motivated to achieve their educational and career goals.

The club is thrilled to bestow two Live Your Dream Awards in 2026.

Soroptimist Makes Dreams Happen

At the Soroptimist International Rio Vista Meeting on January 7, 2026 two amazing young women were awarded grants totaling $2,500 each to help them complete their education and fulfill their dreams.

The first award was given to Andrea Nathanly Mandujano. She has overcome many obstacles to reach her goal of becoming a Medical Assistant and Phlebotomist. Andrea’s ultimate goal is to become a nurse. She is a single mother of a 9-month-old child, whom she cares for while attending Blake Austin College. She is the primary financial supporter for her child. This grant will help her finish her schooling and achieve her goal.

The second award was given to Marianna Tendick. Her goal is to earn her bachelor’s degree. She is a transfer student at Diablo Valley College.  She is studying Pre-Law. As a single mother to an 8-year-old special needs son, she decided that she wanted more for herself and her son since she was not getting any support from her son’s father. Marianna’s end goal is to become an attorney to help women navigate the legal system. The Live Your Dream grant will give her the leg up she needs to make her dreams possible.

The Live Your Dream Award is a Soroptimist International Americas Program that provides over $2.8 million in cash awards to head-of-household women in need each year. Since the program’s inception in 1972, more than $40 million has helped tens of thousands of women achieve their dreams of a better life for themselves and their families. A study conducted by The Fels Institute of Government, a research and consulting organization based at the University of Pennsylvania, confirmed the program’s efficacy and impact. It improves the recipients’ quality of life, builds their confidence, strengthens their self-determination, and makes them want to, in turn, help others. Helping women in this way has been shown to lead to stronger communities, nations, and the world.