Passions motivate students to chase dreams

By Anna Clare Payne

Junior League of Dallas (JLD) awarded $40,000 in collegiate scholarships to 10 college-bound women from Dallas ISD during its 13th annual Women LEAD Speech Competition and Awards Ceremony held Saturday, March 28 at JLD Headquarters. The top ten ranked finalists were selected from a highly competitive set of applicants from Emmett J. Conrad High School and Thomas Jefferson High School. Founded in 2013 by JLD, the Women LEAD (Learn. Excel. Achieve. Dream.) scholarship program was created to assist female high school students in pursuing their dreams of higher education and to create opportunities for future women leaders. Since the program began, the League has awarded 91 scholarships totaling more than $440,000 to female seniors from these two area high schools. Sponsors include W.P. & Bulah Luse Foundation, Comerica Charitable Foundation and HILTI.

“The dedication, curiosity and determination these young women have shown throughout the Women LEAD program has been genuinely inspiring,” said Junior League of Dallas President Dr. Lindsay R. Davis. “Since I have spent my career in higher education, I see every day how transformative a scholarship can be, not just financially but in the confidence and opportunity it creates. As these remarkable students begin their college journeys, we are incredibly proud to support them and excited to see the impact they will make. They represent exactly the kind of thoughtful, capable leaders our communities need, and the Junior League of Dallas is honored to play a role in helping them get there.”

In October, Women LEAD Chair Jessica Shipp and the Committee members visited both high schools to review the application and scholarship program with interested students and school administration. The application process required currently enrolled female senior students to have at least a 3.0 GPA, plans to attend a two- or four-year accredited college, university or vocational school, and they had to have good character with a record of service to their school and community. Eligible students were required to submit an application with their resume, transcript, three recommendation letters and an 850-word essay on the provided prompt.

The top 10 ranked applicants were invited to present their speeches on March 28  in front of this year’s judges including: Tiffanie Rice, vice president and regional external affairs manager at Comerica Bank; Dulari Mehta, social impact manager at Hilti; Calvert Collins-Bratton, chief relationship officer at Communities Foundation of Texas; and Ashley O’Neill, Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas director of development, donor and corporate relations. JLD President Dr. Lindsay Davis emceed the event. In the oratory competition, the students were given this prompt: share a time in your lives when you encountered a challenge, what you learned, and how you overcame that personal obstacle to become the leader you are today, as well as how you have been – or plan to be – a community advocate. 

 In response, the audience and judges heard inspirational speeches from each of the top 10 finalists, including: Aide Castelan, Kiara Jefferson, and Jimena Sainz from Thomas Jefferson High School, and Anisaa Abdullah, Arezoo Baqiri, Kennedy Davis, Isabel Franco, Jocelynn Martinez, Josephine Okunlade, and Esmeralda Mojica Orozco from Emmett J. Conrad High School.

Additionally, the students spoke about their passions and how receiving a Women LEAD scholarship will help them achieve their goals. Individual passions motivate these students to chase their dreams and turn them into a reality, and each of these young women hopes to fulfill those dreams in a way that will make a positive impact on the world and inspire the people around them. 

Following the oratory competition, the judging panel tallied the votes and determined the winners based on the merits of their scholarship application and speech presentation. The winner of the $15,000 Women LEAD scholarship was Anissa Abdullah. Second place winner Kennedy Davis received a $10,000 scholarship; third place winner Jimena Sainz received a $5,000 scholarship; fourth place winner Josephine Okunlade received a $3,000 scholarship; and fifth place winner Esmeralda Mojica Orozco received a $2,000 scholarship.  Honorable mention winners Arezoo Baqiri, Aide Castelan, Isabel Franco, Kiara Jefferson, and Jocelynn Martinez each received a $1,000 scholarship. Each finalist also received a laptop, thanks to a generous donation from Hilti North America.

“We are incredibly proud to invest in these young women and their futures,” said Jessica Shipp, 2026 Women LEAD project chair. “This scholarship program not only helps students continue their education but also empowers them to take action as leaders who will shape the future of our community.”