Live Your Dream - Soroptimist International of the Twin Cities

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Soroptimist's Live Your Dream Awards program is a unique education award for women who provide the primary financial support for their families.

The Live Your Dream Awards give women the resources they need to improve their education, skills and employment prospects.

Every year, Soroptimist distributes more than $2.9 million in education awards to over 2,000 women all over the world.

Over half of our Live Your Dream Awards recipients are survivors of domestic violence, trafficking or sexual assault. Nearly all of the women and families we serve have overcome enormous obstacles including poverty, teen pregnancy, and drug or alcohol addiction. Live Your Dream Awards recipients may use the cash award to offset any costs associated with their efforts to attain higher education, such as books, childcare, tuition and transportation.

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To be eligible, winners must be women who provide primary support for their families and who are enrolled in or have been accepted to a vocational/skills training program or undergraduate degree program. To verify eligibility, please review the requirements at: http://www.soroptimist.org/awards/eligibility.html

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2026 Live Your Dream 1st place winner: Aishia

“I want them to see a mother who rises even when life feels overwhelming, who refuses to give up on her dreams.” - Aishia

Aishia is our first place Live Your Dream Award winner. At 27, she is a single mother of three young children, and the sole financial provider for her family. She manages rent, childcare, and daily expenses on a tight income while pursuing her nursing degree at Rasmussen College. During and after her pregnancy, she faced infidelity in her relationship, which left her heartbroken and questioning her worth. Instead of giving up, she chose resilience. Now, she studies late at night, sometimes with her baby sleeping on her chest, because she wants her children to see perseverance in action.

Aishia already earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Now she works toward becoming a registered nurse and, eventually, a family nurse practitioner. She plans to provide trauma-informed, culturally competent care for Black mothers and low-income families. She wants to advocate for patients who often feel unheard in the healthcare system. Through nursing, she will help women and families access compassionate, equitable care. Soroptimist is supporting Aishia to live her dream—to build a healthier future for her children and her community.

Aishia is awarded $1,500 from Twin Cities Soroptimist

and $3,000 from the Peaks to Plains Region

Sarah - 2nd Place Live Your Dream Winner

“In hope that our children, and the child inside of us, can seek justice and peace.”

Sarah (*Sarah is an alias for confidentiality) is our second place Live Your Dream Award winner. She is a 28-year-old single mother to her 8-year-old son, working 20 hours a week while attending Saint Paul College and managing tight monthly expenses. Sarah survived unimaginable trauma as a child. She endured sexual abuse and trafficking by a trusted caregiver. As a young adult, she entered an abusive relationship that isolated her from family and escalated into violence and threats against her child. One night, she gathered clothes and her son, while her abuser slept, and left—choosing safety. She now attends therapy and actively rebuilds her life.

Sarah is earning her degree as an ASL Interpreter and Transliterator. She plans to pursue paralegal studies next. Her goal is to create a nonprofit resource center that educates communities about abuse and connects survivors to safe support. She is especially committed to serving the Deaf community, where survivors face higher rates of abuse and serious communication barriers. Sarah wants to remove language barriers, expand access to legal advocacy, and ensure survivors feel seen and heard. Through her work, she will help women and children break cycles of violence. Soroptimist is supporting Sarah to live her dream—to turn her survival into a lifeline for others.

Carissa - 3rd Place Live Your Dream Winner

“I have learned that strength is not the absence of fear or hardship, but the ability to keep going despite them.”

Carissa is our third place Live Your Dream Award winner. She is a 42-year-old single mother of six children who escaped domestic violence and rebuilt her life with courage and determination. She works to create a safe and stable home while facing ongoing financial hardship. At times, this means relying on local food pantries and she often struggles to keep up with rent. Still, she refuses to give up. Her children motivate her to keep moving forward and to show them that perseverance creates possibility.

Carissa is enrolled in an RN to BSN program and plans to become a Nurse Practitioner. She brings more than a decade of nursing experience to her studies. Her dream is to open a patient advocacy business that helps individuals and families navigate the healthcare system. She wants to combine medical care with advocacy, so patients receive both treatment and guidance. She plans to serve families who lack access to quality care and who struggle to understand complex systems. Through her work, she will empower women and families to make informed decisions about their health. Soroptimist is supporting Carissa to live her dream—to build stability for her children and her community.

Shaylynn - 4th Place Live Your Dream Winner

“I want to be that advocate for those children that may be living in a situation similar to my childhood and give them the opportunity for a better life.”

Shaylynn is our fourth place Live Your Dream Award winner. She is a 29-year-old mother of two children, working full time while earning her bachelor’s degree. She grew up in an unstable home, raised by a parent struggling with addiction. School gave her a safe space and a path forward. She graduated high school proud of what she had accomplished, even without support or guidance about college. Now she has returned to school with purpose. She wants her children to see that it is never too late to set a goal and reach it.

Shaylynn is studying Human Services with a focus on child and family services. Her dream is to become a Child Protection Worker or Child Welfare Specialist. She wants to advocate for children who live with instability, neglect, or addiction in the home. She understands what those children carry. She plans to use her training to recognize risk, connect families to resources, and create safer outcomes. She also wants to break cycles that limit women and girls. She will help mothers access support earlier and strengthen the systems that protect children. This award helps Shaylynn live her dream—to become the steady, informed advocate she once needed.

Jenn - 5th Place Live Your Dream Winner

“I want to be a part of the fabric that keeps its power, healing, and history alive and well.”

Jenn (*Jenn is an alias for confidentiality) is our fifth place Live Your Dream Award winner. She is a 34-year-old first-generation college student and a mother to a two-year-old daughter. She has worked toward her degree since 2010 while juggling family responsibilities and full-time work. Early on, she enrolled in a for-profit school, which quickly took back its financial aid, so she was unable to finish her degree. She grew up below the poverty line and started working at 17. She also carried heavy family loss, including losing her only sibling to a fatal overdose. Through it all, she kept showing up. She stayed committed to building a future her daughter can be proud of.

Jenn is studying music at Hamline University and pursuing a path into teaching. Her dream is to become an educator who preserves and shares the history of gospel music and the contributions of Black artists. She wants to bring that history back into classrooms and creative spaces, where it often gets overlooked or erased. In her work at the Saint Paul Public Library, she has already created programs that foster youth learning and creativity. As a teacher, she will help young women and girls find their voices through art, storytelling, and music. Soroptimist is supporting Jenn to live her dream—to inspire the next generation of Black creatives and leaders.

Sarah, 2nd place LYD winner

Shaylynn, 4th place LYD winner

Jenn, 5th place LYD winner

Amber - 6th Place Live Your Dream Winner

“My journey has not been easy, but every hardship has fueled my determination to create a life defined by stability, opportunity, and hope.”

Amber is our sixth place Live Your Dream Award winner. She is a 29-year-old single mother of two young children, working full time while earning her bachelor’s degree in business administration. She earned her GED and built a 14-year career in healthcare through persistence and hard work. Now, as she raises two children on her own, she balances long work hours, rising expenses, and the demands of school. She stretches every dollar and relies on credit to close the gap, but she refuses to let financial stress stop her progress.

Amber plans to become a licensed nursing home administrator. She wants to be a leader, delivering excellent care to seniors while creating a positive, supported workplace for staff. Her years in direct care and leadership roles shaped her vision for compassionate, ethical management. She hopes to one day open and operate her own assisted living or nursing home community. Through her leadership, she will advocate for dignified aging and stronger standards of care. She also models resilience and ambition for her children and other working mothers. Soroptimist is supporting Amber to live her dream— to create safe, supportive spaces for seniors and the families who love them.

Anna - 7th Place Live Your Dream Winner

“This award wouldn’t just help me live my dream, it would help me give my daughters the future they deserve.”

Anna is our seventh place Live Your Dream Award winner. She is a 26-year-old single mother of two young daughters. In high school, she earned a 4.0 GPA and 35 college credits, but she put her own education on hold to build a family. Years later, her marriage unraveled under the weight of a hidden alcohol addiction and escalating anger. In 2024, she learned her husband had been having an affair, and she began the divorce process. Soon after, he drained more than $21,000 from their joint account without permission. Anna moved back in with her parents and rebuilt her life from the ground up. She also navigated a stressful custody evaluation and started therapy to support her healing and mental health.

Now, Anna is enrolled full-time pursuing a bachelor’s degree in software development and has maintained a 4.0 while parenting. She plans to become a software developer, then advance to a senior role. She chose the tech field for job stability, strong earning potential, and the ability to work remotely so she can stay present in her daughters’ lives. Anna wants to build tools that solve real-world problems and create a secure future for her girls. Soroptimist is supporting Anna to live her dream—to model strength, independence, and possibility for the next generation of women.

Alex - 8th Place Live Your Dream Winner

“Becoming a single mom was the hardest yet best thing I have ever done for us.”

Alex (*Alex is an alias for confidentiality) is our eighth place Live Your Dream Award winner. She is a 34-year-old single mother of two boys, ages 6 and 9. For more than six years Alex was in an abusive relationship, trying to convince herself it was “not that bad” because it was not always physical. During her pregnancy, it became physical, and fear kept her stuck. While on furlough in 2020 due to COVID, she found the strength to ask her partner to leave. She returned to work with reduced hours so she could avoid daycare costs and went to the food shelf weekly to support her kids while receiving no child support. She kept going because she refused to lose the one steady place her boys could count on.

Now Alex is pursuing her childhood dream, working towards her bachelor’s degree in architecture. She wants a stronger income and stable career so she can support her boys as they grow and engage in school activities. She also wants them to see what persistence looks like. Alex plans to build a career that creates safe, functional spaces and a secure future for her family. Soroptimist is supporting Alex to live her dream—to show her sons that women can rebuild, lead, and thrive.

Amber, 6th place LYD winner

Anna, 7th place LYD winner

Alex, 8th place LYD winner

2024 Live Your Dream Winner - Rowaida

Rowaida financially supports her 4 children, still living in Palestine. She just obtained her permit to work in the U.S. but is struggling to find work because her Masters in Education achieved in Palestine. Rowaida now dreams of starting a new career in healthcare, and is attending St Paul College to obtain a professional certificate in phlebotomy.

2025 Live Your Dream Winner - Treya

Treya is a mother of 3 young children and is attending Commonsense Childbirth, majoring in Midwifery. She is certification in Perinatal Education working towards her dream of becoming a certified midwife to improve health disparities affecting the Black and Brown birthing community. In the state of Minnesota, there are very few Black midwives, even though Black birthing women are 2.3x more likely to die from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes compared to White women*. Treya wants to change this. By pursuing her degree, she will be able to service black and brown families, educate them on how to advocate for themselves and their right to birth without the fear of death. Treya shares her own story, how as a young mother at 19 she nearly became a part of this statistic. This experience changed her, driving her to empower herself through education so that she can help other Black and Brown mothers to receive the quality care they need, and most importantly, for their voices to be heard. *Statistic from the MN Department of Health, 2024