Each year, Women In Focus, Inc. awards scholarships to deserving college-bound students of color who have been selected by the WIF Scholarship Review Committee and every year the number of scholarships seems to grow a little bit. This year, a record number of scholarship winners – 29 – were honored at the annual Women In Focus Scholarship Reception on Sunday, April 21 at the Goodman Community Center.
“This is our highest number of scholarships so far … and to be able to give each student $2,500 is amazing,” longtime Women in Focus Inc. member Edith Hilliard tells Madison365. “I remember our very first book award in 1986. We gave away $50 to three students. Now here in 2024, we gave away $2,500 to 29 students. That’s absolutely amazing.”
Scholars from across the area came together with their families and friends to celebrate at the Women In Focus Scholarship Reception. Each scholar spoke briefly about their educational journey. One of the event’s highlights was Women in Focus’s four-year Inspiring Founders scholar, Isaiah Mielke, who shared his journey and some wisdom for the new group. Mielke is now a senior at Edgewood College and this year he will receive the fourth award of his four-year scholarship.
“I think one of the important factors with Women in Focus is that at every ball and every scholarship reception, we have one of our recipients come back and give a talk,” Hilliard says. “And I think that’s important to be able to highlight so that our students can see where these folks are now, where they’ve come from, and what path they have traveled because our students are all over the world. And I think it’s a joy that we still keep that connection with them and bring them back.”
Women in Focus Inc., a long-standing organization of women focused on promoting educational excellence and the healthy development of children of color in the Madison area, has been providing scholarships to students of color for almost four decades. The group was founded in 1983. Hilliard became a member in 1984.
“Actually, Verona Morgan and I are the only two members that have been there the whole time. So, yes, I’ve been there for a long time,” smiles Hilliard, who has been president and vice president and more of Women in Focus over the years. “You name it, I’ve done it!”
With this year’s graduation reception concluded, Women in Focus has now awarded 502 scholarships since 1986.
“It’s just absolutely amazing to see the impact and the difference Women in Focus has made this year and over the years for young people. College is so important,” Hilliard says. “And so to be able to give them that financial stability for a start out as they go to college, it just makes all the difference in the world. I feel really proud to be a part of an organization that really stresses the impact of the importance of education.”
(Photo: Women in Focus)
Beyond the scholarships, Women in Focus also spends the better part of the year working on a literacy program for younger children. The WIF Literacy program’s purpose is to promote reading as a positive activity and experience for young children, to support and encourage parents to read and learn together, support school readiness and to provide age-appropriate and interesting books to families.
“We try to impact them and stress the importance of reading with your children and focusing on their education. You let your children know that they’re going to college. It’s not a matter of fact of if you’re going … it’s where you are going,” Hilliard says. “And when you put that mindset in children early on, like we do with the literacy program, it makes a difference in the lives of the children.
“We are at a lot of festivals and events happening around town including Juneteenth, the Urban League picnic, the Children’s Museum, etc. We try to be at those festivals so that we can have the books available because they’re free,” Hilliard continues. “We’re giving brand-new books to the children and the parents because we think it’s important for the children to be able to have those books. So wherever we can be out in the community and give those free books away, that’s where we’re going to be doing.”
All told, Women in Focus raised $75,000 for scholarships at their elegant “I Have a Dream” Ball in January. The group recently announced that the 39th Annual “I Have a Dream” Ball will be held on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center where they will once again try to break their record for scholarship money generated and scholarships presented to students.
“When it comes to awarding scholarships, I believe that we are the highest-grossing African American scholarship organization in Madison for dollar amount and number of scholarships,” Hilliard says.
