Our Community
Who We Serve
Soroptimist International of Truckee Meadows serves women and girls at every stage of their educational journey. Through scholarships, youth programs, community partnerships, and global initiatives, we help remove barriers, recognize achievement, and create opportunities for lasting success.
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Who We Serve
Women Pursuing Education
Investing in women who are building brighter futures.
Education creates opportunity. Through the Live Your Dream Award and Dreams Moving Forward Scholarships, Soroptimist International of Truckee Meadows supports women who are returning to school, changing careers, and overcoming barriers to achieve their educational and professional goals.
Many recipients balance family responsibilities, employment, and financial challenges while pursuing degrees, certificates, and vocational training. Our scholarships help make those journeys possible.
Who We Serve
Girls & Young Women
Encouraging confidence, leadership, and achievement.
Young women deserve opportunities to discover their strengths and pursue their dreams. Through programs like Thanks to Youth and STEAM education, SITM recognizes outstanding students, encourages leadership, and helps girls build confidence that lasts far beyond the classroom.
By celebrating achievement today, we help inspire tomorrow’s leaders.
Who We Serve
Scholarship Recipients
Supporting educational journeys with lasting impact.
Every scholarship represents more than financial assistance. It represents encouragement, opportunity, and confidence in someone’s future.
Whether pursuing undergraduate studies, graduate education, vocational training, or a new career path, SITM scholarship recipients are creating brighter futures for themselves, their families, and their communities.
Who We Serve
Families & Communities
Stronger communities begin with opportunity.
When women and girls succeed, entire families and communities benefit. Through volunteer service, educational partnerships, fundraising events, and local outreach, Soroptimist International of Truckee Meadows works alongside community organizations to create meaningful, lasting impact throughout Northern Nevada.
Every hour volunteered and every dollar invested helps strengthen the community we all share.
Who We Serve
Global Communities
Supporting women and girls beyond our local community.
Our mission extends beyond Northern Nevada through international partnerships that expand educational opportunities for women and girls around the world.
By supporting projects that improve access to education and opportunity, SITM joins Soroptimists across the globe in creating lasting change.
Recipient Stories
Every story begins with opportunity.
Every scholarship represents someone taking an important step toward a brighter future. Meet a few of the remarkable women whose educational journeys were recently featured in the SITM newsletter.
Caryl Anne Simontacchi
Live Your Dream award recipient
After a 20-year career as an independent art therapist, Caryl Anne Simontacchi began classes at the Milan Institute of Cosmetology with the goal of becoming a nail technician. She plans to offer manicures and pedicures to people in nursing homes and senior living communities, bringing joy through her work. As a wheelchair user, she says the nail technician field is “a job I can do while being wheelchair-bound,” and she is excited about this new chapter in her life.
Shae McDonald
Live Your Dream award recipient
Shae McDonald returned to Truckee Meadows Community College to continue pursuing her dream of becoming a licensed veterinary technician. While working full time in veterinary care and raising her daughter, she has continued overcoming barriers in pursuit of a better life. As Shae shared, “A better life for my daughter and myself is what drives that determination each passing day.”
Justine Jackson
Live Your Dream award recipient
Justine Jackson is pursuing a career in social work while raising three young children. She is enrolled at Truckee Meadows Community College and plans to graduate with an associate degree in 2027. She chose social work because she hopes to give back to the community that helped guide her back to the right path.
Erica Brandt
Live Your Dream award recipient
Erica Brandt is attending Truckee Meadows Community College, majoring in HVAC/R while raising her two children. After earning her GED, she is working toward a career that will allow her to support her family. As Erica shared, “I dream of being the person who gets called to do maintenance and make repairs for refrigeration systems. I like to fix things.”