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Local school accepting submissions for Women’s City Club Impact Award program

Established in 2018 by the WCC, the annual Impact Award will recognize two deserving Union High School juniors (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)


By Deborah Reed

WKTV Managing Editor

deborah@wktv.org


(Courtesy, WCC)

Women’s City Club (WCC) President Wendy Sturm and Union High School (UHS) Principal Aaron Roussey recently announced the beginning of the 2025 WCC Impact Award contest at a UHS junior class assembly.

Established in 2018 by the WCC, and developed in conjunction with UHS, this annual award will recognize two deserving high school juniors. Each winner will receive a $750 cash award to be used in any way the student sees fit, without stipulations.

“The Impact Award was established to support our mission and to provide students with a means to pursue their dreams,” said Wendy Sturm, WCC President.

Submission details

Entries submission began in December 2024, and remain open until Feb. 14, 2025. To apply, students present a piece of work that identifies and describes a personal role model – someone who has inspired them to achieve their own excellence.

UHS Principal Aaron Roussey (left) talks to students about the WCC Impact Award (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

Students apply by filling out a short form with a personal statement and their chosen form of expression-writing, drawing, poetry, painting, photography, a musical composition or a song.

While speaking to UHS students at the class assembly, Sturm said, “The whole idea of this is to help you with that thinking process and hopefully inspire you to become an impactful person for someone else.”

The 2025 winning entries will be chosen and announced by a committee of UHS administrators, teachers and counselors no later than Feb. 28.

Award winners will be honored with a luncheon presentation at Mayflower Congregational Church in April. During the luncheon, the winners will have an opportunity to talk with WCC members and will be presented with a scholarship certificate and award money.

Avenues of personal insight

With UHS students attending from all over the world, Impact Award entries are varied and provide insight into the students’ lives.

“They are very personal,” UHS Assistant Principal Dana Bachelder said of the entries at the 2024 award luncheon. “Many times when we read [the entries], we’re learning a little bit about where they came from, what is important to them, things that they’ve been through.”

WCC President Wendy Sturm answered questions about the Impact Award submission process and requirements (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

Terrell Daniels won the 2023 Impact Award with an essay featuring his father and his impact on Daniels throughout the years. Daniels said he was happy and surprised when told he was an Award winner.

“I had never won an award, especially for an essay,” said Daniels. “Winning it made me feel accomplished.”

Daniels went on to say that winning the Impact Award also accomplished a personal goal.

“I always wanted to better myself and challenge myself. By participating in the competition and winning, it made me gain more confidence in myself and my capabilities, and motivated me to keep pursuing my goals.”

Daniels chose to put his winnings toward his savings to help him reach those goals.

WCC 2024 Impact Award winners Dilanny Perez (left) and Nebyat Gebrehiwot (Courtesy, WCC)

In 2024, UHS students Dilanny Perez and Nebyat Gebrehiwot received the Impact Award.

Perez’s entry was a written essay about William D. Swenson, a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army who was awarded the Medal of Honor in 2013. Perez said she learned about bravery, loyalty and courage, and was inspired to strive for those things in her own life.

Gebrehiwot’s winning entry depicting the cultural dress of Eritrean women was inspired by her mother. The painting was Nebyat’s tribute to the women of her native African country who strive for gender equality and work to empower other women.

The UHS junior class presentation included pictures of previous award winners and their submissions (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

UHS Principal Aaron Roussey said 2024 saw the most program entries to date, and anticipates an equal amount – or more – this year.

“It is a fantastic opportunity,” Roussey told students at the assembly.

Make your own impact

Sturm said she enjoys receiving updates on previous award winners and seeing them mature and grow.

“Every year we receive updates on past award winners and learn how these students continue to develop and grow in confidence and leadership to become role models for others,” said Sturm.

Several UHS juniors were interested in learning more and picked up Impact Award information pamphlets provided by the WCC (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

Daniels, currently pursuing an astrophysics degree at Michigan State University, urges all students with even a slight interest in the Impact Award competition to submit an entry.

“In life, it’s easy to tell yourself that you aren’t good enough for something or that there’s no way you could win/accomplish something, but you can!” said Daniels. “There were winners before you who probably thought the same thing, but look what happened to them.

“It starts with you. Make your impact and share it to the world.”

For a list of past Impact Award winners, click here.

The Impact Award is funded by generous donations from WCC members and the community.

(Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)