The San Diego Live Your Dream Collaborative will be holding 4 Zoom workshops in October to help women apply for the Soroptimist Live Your Dream Education and Training Award. Members from several Soroptimist clubs throughout San Diego County have volunteered to help the women with the online application process. Each Zoom workshop will start at 6 pm on the following dates: October 5, October 13, October 18, and October 24. To request the zoom link, please see poster or contact your local Soroptimist club; applicants from Vista, San Marcos, Escondido and Fallbrook can request the Zoom link by emailing SIVLiveYourDream@gmail.com
Each 90 minute workshop will include why women should apply, how to get started, and individual assistance with their application. In Zoom breakout rooms, Soroptimist experts will help each woman successfully complete her application. Applicants can choose one or more breakout rooms and attend as many times as they wish to complete their online application.
For the past few years the application process has been online only. (A printed version of the application exists, but it should be used as a guide to the online version only, as paper applications are no longer accepted.)
To be eligible for this award, women must be the primary support of their families and enrolled in, or accepted into, a college or vocational/trade school program. The Live Your Dream Award is not a scholarship; it’s a cash award that can be used to offset any costs associated with their efforts to attain higher education, such as books, childcare, tuition and transportation. The winners will be notified in early January 2023 and honored at a later date.
Club-level awards are usually between $1,000 and $3,000 for each awardee. The first-place winner from each club is then eligible for an additional Region-level award of up to $5,000. The finalists from each Region are then eligible for another $10,000 from the Federation.
Soroptimist International (SI) is a worldwide organization with 5 Federations. Last year, the SI of the Americas Federation distributed more than $2.8 million in education awards to about 1,800 women. Over half of Live Your Dream Awards recipients are survivors of domestic violence, trafficking or sexual assault. Nearly all have overcome enormous obstacles, including poverty, teen pregnancy, and drug or alcohol addiction.