Soroptimist International of Capitola-by-the-Sea has selected six single mothers as winners of its 2026 Live Your Dream (LYD) program awards. Each winner will receive a cash award that they can use for anything that enables them to complete their education, such as rent, medical bills, child care and car repairs.
The winners will be honored at a presentation ceremony in March.
Women who are enrolled in or have been accepted into an undergraduate or technical training program, are the heads of their households and have a demonstrated need are eligible to apply for a Live Your Dream award.
“Our club is extremely proud of these women who have overcome many obstacles to get an education with the goal of becoming financially able to support themselves and their families while being role models for their children,” said Soroptimist of Capitola President Denise Gurer. “We want to continue to encourage and help them meet their educational goals.”
The Soroptimist International of Capitola-by-the-Sea 2026 Live Your Dream winners are listed below:
Vanessa Orona, 36, of Aptos, is a single mother of four who is pursuing a degree in Human Services. Having grown up on government assistance and now having to temporarily accept the same fate for herself and her children, she is determined to break that generational cycle and get an education so that she can support her family.
“I want to help others who also struggle with substance and domestic abuse. like I did, by becoming a drug and alcohol counselor,” she wrote in her LYD application. “I am going to graduate and find a career that will not only be my passion but will help me become financially independent.”
Sofia Flores Garcia
Sofia Flores Garcia, 35, of Boulder Creek, is a single mother of one child and is studying general business while working part time. Her dream is to open a coffee shop in Santa Cruz that features speciality, origin coffee and is a safe and healthy place for community events. She would like to host weekly talks on topics such as respectful parenting and mental and physical health presentations by professionals.
“So, I dream for my community and myself, a place where we can find resources and support and where we cultivate our minds through arts, music and culture from different places,” she wrote. “A place of growth, inner growth.”
Brittani (her last name is withheld at her request), 37, of Watsonville, is a former housekeeping entrepreneur, single mother of two daughters, and is currently studying nursing. After becoming a single parent, she decided she needed to come up with a long-term plan for herself and her two daughters. She wants to become a labor and delivery nurse supporting women delivering their babies.
“I love people, am extremely empathetic, excel at therapeutic communication and extending compassion,” she wrote in her LYD application. “Nursing seems like a great outlet for my nurturing personality, and offers the stability I desperately want to offer my daughters.”
Marianella Guevara
Marianella Guevara, 47, of Aptos, works full-time to support herself, her mother and her teenage daughter while studying to become a certified professional coach. She wants to develop a practice to help women who are going through painful stages of their lives.
“Having this complete certification will give me the knowledge, methodologies, techniques, security, trust and endorsement that I need to carry out my plan to develop my own mentoring and coaching business,” she explained in her LYD application.
This winner’s name is being withheld at her request. She is 31, of Aptos, and the single mother of one child. She is studying psychology with an emphasis on criminal justice.
Alexandra Henry, 31, of Santa Cruz, is a single mother of one child who experienced a neurological medical condition. She is pursuing a career as a Physician Assistant with a focus on comprehensive human physiology, from cellular processes to nervous system function.
“I am committed to integrating trauma-informed care, cultural understanding and whole-person approaches into medical practice,” she wrote.
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Soroptimist International of Capitola-by-the-Sea is part of a global volunteer organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment. For more information, visit the website at www.best4women.org, our Facebook page or email us at [email protected]