The St. Lawrence County Branch of AAUW is pleased to announce that Alissa Jatsenti, Canton, was awarded a $300 AAUW Memorial Scholarship. A native of Talinn, Estonia, she came to the US nearly three years ago, reconnecting with her parents and brother who came to the USA a few years earlier.

She graduated in May from SUNY Canton with a degree in accounting. She will continue her education this fall in the Financial Information and Analysis program at Clarkson.

A trilingual student, Alissa was one of only two SUNY Canton students to receive the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence in 2009, the highest award any SUNY student can receive.

She is a top notch photographer; some of her work was displayed in the Best of SUNY Art Exhibition. She has been involved in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program for the past two years. The nearly 40 returns which she prepared saved members of the community about $2000 in tax return costs. This year she was also given the assignment of Administrator for the tax program, helping answer questions from her fellow student tax-preparers.

She also donated some of her time in the spring semester to be a volunteer note-taker for a classmate who broke his hand.

The 2009 AAUW scholarships were given in memory of long time AAUW member Frances “Fran” Dixson (1921-2008). A non-traditional student herself, Fran went to college in 1970, graduating with honors at age 55 with her BS in Elementary Education. She taught at Madrid-Waddington Central for 10 years. Following retirement, she traveled extensively in Europe and Asia and continued to participate in educational enrichment through SOAR.

AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. AAUW’s commitment to educational equity is reflected in its public policy advocacy, community programs, leadership development, conventions and conferences, national partnerships, and international connections.