Local business owner Glenda Woolfolk says she will never forget the big impact unexpected financial aid made for her single mother while she worked her way through nursing school at Bakersfield College.
Through her business Vi Dora Exclusive HairExtensions, she wants to pay it forward to single mothers who are nursing students at Bakersfield College and California State University, Bakersfield.
The scholarships will be granted at Vi Dora Exclusive Hair Extensions inaugural Scholarship Gala Friday June 12 at 6 p.m. at the the Bakersfield Marriott.
Woolfolk says all five women who applied for the scholarships will be granted at least $500.
Sonia Lopez is one of the scholarship recipients. It's taken her eight years to reach her final semester of the nursing program at Bakersfield College. She hopes her perseverance will serve as an example to her three children.
“I feel like it’s a good lesson for them. Because my oldest sees how much I struggle trying to take care of them and also working to get them what they need," said Lopez.
Between work, school and raising her three children, Lopez has had to do it all on her own. Her mother struggled from addiction, her father was not consistently in her life and she left an unhealthy relationship with her children's father.
“I felt like if I stayed I was setting a bad example for my daughter," said Lopez. "And I didn’t want my daughter to see that and think that that was love.”
Lopez says while she has become accustomed to being independent, she's grateful for any help.
“There’s a lot of people, women like me, that have their dreams. But it always seems like finances or something that’s always a big problem for them," said Lopez. "But to know that there are people out there that this is one of their goals is to help mothers out. It’s a huge blessing.”
Tickets for Friday night's gala are $80 per person and can be purchased here.
You can find more information on the scholarships and how you can contribute here.
Scholarship applications for single mother nursing students open back up February 1, 2019 at VidoraHairEx.com.
Applicants must be enrolled or accepted to the nursing programs at either Bakersfield College or California State University, Bakersfield to be eligible.
