This year, the Chamber is proud to award 24 recipients from 2020 and 2021 with the Paradigm Scholarship for Working Women, a merit-based scholarship that is awarded annually to a group of women striving to complete their undergraduate degrees while working full-time for a Chamber member company. The recipients will receive up to $5,000 towards tuition and/or books.
Join us virtually on March 4 at the Paradigm Award ceremony to celebrate not only their reception of the scholarship, but to celebrate their resiliency and commitment to excellence for their own lives and the communities they serve.
Support the career aspiration of professional women in our region with a tax-deductible donation through the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia Regional Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization.
2020 Recipients
April Alexander
Employer: Independence Blue Cross
College/University: Rosemont College
“This scholarship will allow me to get closer to my graduation day. Although I have a way to go, I am excited and look forward to advancing in my career.”
Sunny Chun*
Employer: PFM
College/University: Chestnut Hill College
“The Paradigm Scholarship will support my dreams of becoming a marketing & communications director. Although I have experience in the marketing field, a degree will undoubtedly grant me more flexibility and opportunities for professional growth.”
Erin Collier
Employer: Deaf Hearing Communication Centre
College/University: West Chester University
“The Paradigm Scholarship for Working Women will help to further my education at West Chester University. The scholarship will be put towards my tuition as I finish taking classes for my bachelor’s degree in business management.”
Giannine Della Rocca
Employer: AmeriHealth Caritas
College/University: Drexel University/Delaware County Community College (Concurrent Enrollment Program)
“This scholarship is such a blessing as it will allow me to manage the many expenses of achieving my nursing degree. Validation of hard work is incredibly meaningful; I will pay it forward every day in my practice as a clinician.”
Adama Jawara
Employer: Kencrest Services
College/University: Delaware County Community College
“Being a recipient for the Paradigm Scholarship for Working Women allows me more financial freedom in pursuing my bachelor’s degree in nursing.”
Mariah Johnson
Employer: NextFab
College/University: Ashford University
“It has always been my dream to work in the psychology field. The Paradigm Scholarship for Working Women helps me to continue my schooling, better myself, and work towards getting to a place to make that dream come true.”
Shannon McClain
Employer: Einstein Medical Center
College/University: Montgomery County Community College
“Currently, I am an administrative assistant for a grant-funded program and as a single parent use public assistance. This will help me to be more independent and show my four children that you never stop learning.”
Tara Netterville
EMployer: The Free Library of Philadelphia
College/University: Temple University
“This is an amazing opportunity for women to keep pursuing their goals through education. Sometimes we need extra motivation so that we know what we are trying to accomplish is something to be proud of!”
Najla Rashad
Employer: The Free Library of Philadelphia
College/University: Community College of Philadelphia
“I’m truly honored, exuberant, and grateful for this gift. This gift has given me a renewed motivation to accomplish my aspirations of working with and advocating for children.”
Veronica Sapp*
Employer: Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital for Children
College/University: Peirce College
“This scholarship gives me the freedom to pursue my goal of a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration, releasing the financial burden and allowing me to double my classes.”
2021 Recipients
Sheralina Baker
Employer: Independence Blue Cross
College/University: Peirce College
“The Paradigm Scholarship for Working Women will allow me to achieve my Bachelor’s degree so I can begin my studies to obtain my Master’s from Peirce College’s Bachelor’s to Master’s Organizational Leadership degree program.”
Brenda Baxter
Employer: Einstein HealthCare Network
College/University: Community College of Philadelphia
“This scholarship will allow me to pay for tuition, books, and supplies so that I can finish school and apply for Nursing school. No matter what life throws at me I’m destined to become a nurse.”
Rebecca Berger
Employer: The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
College/University: Drexel University
“Receiving this scholarship will be extremely helpful financially and emotionally. While it’s not easy balancing a full-time job, a home and social life, a per diem histology job, and taking classes, I have a goal to complete my degree at Drexel by 2023 and continue my education.”
Sheila Colalongo
Employer: Jefferson University Physicians- Department of Psychiatry
College/University: Jefferson School of Continuing and Professional Studies
“The Paradigm Scholarship for Working Women will help pay for the last five classes I need to obtain my Bachelor’s degree. It means a lot to me to complete my education so that I can be a well-rounded woman, mother, and academic role model for my daughter.”
Kristina Elton
Employer: WSFS Bank
College/University: Peirce College
“Being a recipient of this scholarship gives me an opportunity to ensure that my number one priority – my children – are taken care of and that my betterment can be a lesson that they can do anything they set their mind to.”
Marjorie Feiring
Employer: Pennsylvania Ballet Association
College/University: Community College of Philadelphia
“The Paradigm Scholarship for Working Women can help me transition from one incredible job to another, and will allow me the opportunity and confidence to follow my passion.”
Adrienne Holiday-Singletary
Employer: Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
College/University: Peirce College
“I am beyond ecstatic to receive the Paradigm Scholarship for Working Women, which will allow me to join both my daughters as a college graduate and accomplish my ultimate goal – earning a degree.”
Kera Hoyte
Employer: The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
College/University: Drexel University
“I am humbled, honored, and appreciative to receive this scholarship that will help further my passion for technology, earn my Bachelor’s degree at Drexel University, and become the first person in my family to graduate from a university.”
Ruby-Kira Jenkins
Employer: PECO
College/University: Jefferson University
“Always looking to reach higher in my career path, the Paradigm Scholarship for Working Women will help me pay off my tuition and get me one step closer to my goals and future in PECO management.”
I’esha Maxwell
Employer: Esperanza Academy Charter School
College/University: LaSalle University
“This scholarship will help in me obtaining my degree as a nurse and providing a better life for my kids. I want my success story to be their reminder that circumstances can be changed by their perseverance and this scholarship will allow me to prove just that.”
Tabitha Mays-Wilson
Employer: The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
College/University: Lincoln University
“Being awarded this scholarship will make it possible for me to register for my final semester towards earning a Bachelor of Human Services at Lincoln University and become an advocate to those who do not know and/or understand how to access the behavioral health system.”
Yasaman Mirafzali
Employer: Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
College University: University of Alabama
“Earning the Paradigm Scholarship for Working Women will help with completing my last two semesters and applying for my internship that will lead me to my dream of becoming a registered dietitian one day.”
Sara Schaeffer
Employer: UGI Utilities, Inc.
College/University: University of Phoenix
“The Paradigm Scholarship for Working Women gives me the opportunity to continue my education in a financially stable environment, defy the odds as a once teen mother and graduate college by the age of thirty, and be a positive influence on my daughters.”
Deborah Young
Employer: Einstein Healthcare Network
College/University: DeVry University/Keller Graduate School (Online)
“This scholarship will bring me so much closer to being able to cross the finish line and bring my cap tassel to the other side. I will be able to pursue a position as an administrator at Einstein, and use my degree for the better health of our patients and surrounding communities.”
*recipients of the scholarship for both 2020 and 2021.
The Paradigm Award and Scholarship Committee includes past award winners as well as impactful business leaders in the Greater Philadelphia region, chaired by 2016 Paradigm Awardee Emily L. Bittenbender, Bittenbender Construction, LP.
[Virtual] Paradigm Award
Celebrate the most prestigious award for professional women in Greater Philadelphia — the Paradigm Award. Please join us in recognizing the achievements of the 2021 honoree, Eileen C. McDonnell, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company, as well as this year’s Paradigm Scholarship for Working Women recipients.
Thursday, March 04, 2021 | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Free Event | Open to the public
Tax-deductible donations can be made to the Paradigm Scholarship Fund through the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia Regional Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization.
