{"id":150229,"date":"2025-12-09T13:06:05","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T18:06:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229//news/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229//?p=150229"},"modified":"2025-12-09T14:35:22","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T19:35:22","slug":"ucf-womens-club-honors-3-graduate-students-with-prestigious-sheila-b-somerville-scholarship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229//news/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229//ucf-womens-club-honors-3-graduate-students-with-prestigious-sheila-b-somerville-scholarship/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229//","title":{"rendered":"UCF Women/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229/u2019s Club Honors 3 Graduate Students with Prestigious Sheila B. Somerville Scholarship"},"content":{"rendered":"

Financial support is often the cornerstone of academic success, and for many students, scholarships open the door to higher education. Beyond easing financial stress, these awards provide recognition, motivation, and a sense of belonging, allowing students to focus on their academic and professional growth./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229/n

For more than five decades, the Women/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229/u2019s Club at UCF has long championed the power of scholarships to transform lives. The club raises funds to support both undergraduate and graduate students, with undergraduate awards named in honor of the club/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229/u2019s first ladies and reserved for nontraditional, full-time students who demonstrate outstanding potential./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229/n

Graduate scholarships are presented in honor of Sheila B. Somerville, a beloved member of the Women/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229/u2019s Club whose legacy lives on through the Sheila B. Somerville Endowed Graduate Scholarship. After her passing, her husband, Paul Somerville, a professor emeritus of statistics and data research at UCF, established the scholarship with a generous $100,000 endowment. It remains one of the most significant gifts in the club/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229/u2019s history and continues to support promising graduate students in their academic journeys./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229/n

To date, the Women/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229/u2019s Club at UCF has awarded 527 scholarships and more than $250,000 to support full-time graduate students./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229/n

Since its founding in 1969, the Women/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229/u2019s Club at UCF has remained unwavering in its mission to support students. Today, its 194 members embody the motto moving forward by giving back. To date, they/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229/u2019ve awarded 527 scholarships and more than $250,000 from their endowment fund to support full-time graduate students. Each Sheila B. Somerville Scholarship awards $1,500 over two academic terms, helping recipients further their education./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229/n

This year/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229/u2019s awardees, Anastasija Popkova, Catherine Johnson, and Saba Mohammad Hosseini, exemplify perseverance, academic excellence, and a commitment to giving back. Their achievements reflect the transformative power of education and the importance of supporting future leaders./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229/n

Anastasija Popkova/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229/n

From a young age, Anastasija Popkova knew she wanted to be a mental health counselor. The support she received from her therapist in middle school inspired an early appreciation of self-awareness and emotional education./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150229/n