Tatiana Kensoug: Women in Business Scholarship

Kayecee Palisoc: Women in STEM Scholarship

We presented 2 scholarships this month to Kayecee Palisoc, our first Women in STEM winner, and Tatiana Kensoug, our Women in Business Scholar winner. Both impressive women are well deserving recipients of the scholarships. We congratulate both for their achievements so far and wish them the best in their academic futures.

Zonta Club of Oak Brook and very special guests

These two beautiful women were an inspiration for all of us who met them, celebrated them, and shared dinner with one another!

Members of our Zonta Club of Oak Brook were inspired by the Zonta International District 6 Service Project to Fight Against Food Poverty. 

The members brought needed items for the Downers Grove Area Food Pantry. The Service Committee collected 7 shopping bags full of donations, totaling 70 pounds at Pantry weigh-in.

Our Zonta Club of Oak Brook is raising awareness and taking action to help fight food poverty in our local communities by collecting needed items at Downers Grove Area FISH Food Pantry at our September meeting. Zonta International District 6 is continuing to fight the food poverty issue through their Zonta clubs in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin throughout this club year.

Most Immediate needed items include:

• Canned Peaches and Pineapple

                  Chili, Sloppy Joe mix, Corned beef hash

• Baking supplies

         Flour, Sugar,  Salt,  Baking soda

Congratulations to our Zonta Club of Oak Brook’s first Women in STEM Scholarship Award winner, Kayecee Palisoc!

Kayecee is currently enrolled in the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy pursuing her Master degree in Computer Science and Public Policy. Her previous studies earned her a Bachelor of Applied Mathematics degree in Actuarial Science, followed by a Master of Statistics.

Having grown up in the Philippines, Kayecee experienced the awareness of social injustice and inequities. She is thankful for the level of education she was privileged to receive in a country where that opportunity is not open to all. She credits her education for enabling her to help open opportunities for others. As her education continued, she realized how the digital world is changing very rapidly, and it needs bridging to the unconnected segments in society. One of her goals focuses on the extreme spaces where she can contribute to technology policies while bridging the accessibility and skill gaps. Kayecee’s academic background and professional banking and insurance data analysis work experience led her to volunteer with young students in learning skills for digital jobs with various organizations in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.

Not only is that Kayecee’s  goal for the future, she is already working actively on it within in her short time at the Harris School of Public Policy and Computer Science.  According to  Associate Dean of Students and her Professor of Technology Policy at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy Kayecee has a strong passion for technology policy beyond her academics, her involvement in two organizations that revolve around Data Science and Technology:

• HarrisTech (an organization that serves as a platform for fostering discussions at the intersection of technology and policy) in which Kayecee serves as a HarrisTech Board Member
• Data, Ethics, and Policy Organization (new organization within the Harris School of Public Policy) in which Kayecee played an integral role in the establishment of the organization that emphasizes the ethical implications of data usage

Our best wishes to Kayecee in this amazing journey she has started!

Recycle Your Desktop/Laptop Computers

Saturday, September 30, 2023
9:30 AM – 1:30 PM
at
Oak Brook Public Library
(600 Oak Brook Road, Oak Brook, IL 60523)
Sponsored by

Zonta Club of Oak Brook
and
 Compudopt

Scan QR code for more about donating computers:

•       Compudopt – a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
•        Founded in 2007
•        Provides technology access and education to under-resourced youth
•        Distributed  60,000 devices to students in need
•        Delivered over 225,000 hours of technology education to more than            71,000 students
•        Connected over 500 households to the Compudopt Internet Network
•        Diverted 531.4+ tons of computer hardware from landfills
•        Has programs in 16 states and 26 cities
•        Learn more at www.compudopt.org.

Download: POSTER

Our Zonta Club of Oak Brook is very proud to announce our Jane M. Klausman 2023 Women in Business Scholar, Tatiana Kensoung, who is currently pursuing her MBA at University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Having grown up in Cameroon, Tatiana experienced firsthand energy deficits and impacts of climate change, which ignited her passion in making an impact in the energy sector. Tatiana has already had a successful eight-year career leading international projects in oil & gas, naval, and nuclear sectors in several French cities, including Sofresid Engineering, Construction Mécaniques de Normandie (CMN), and the Orano Group.

Tatiana’s commitment to a career in business is demonstrated through her participation in extracurricular activities and professional experiences at Booth. Notably, winning case competitions such as the National Energy Finance Challenge enabled her to apply classroom knowledge to real-world business scenarios and learn from esteemed judges. Beyond her professional and academic experiences, Tatiana has also has been a mentor, organizer, and advocate for women’s professional development serving as admissions ambassador, Booth Africa co-chair, and member of the Chicago Women in Business club (CWiB). According to one of her professor’s at Booth, Tatiana proves herself to be a natural leader, while her primary language is French, she actively participated in class discussions and collaborates effectively with her peers in a non-native language, and inspires her classmates with her positive attitude and willingness to help others.

We congratulate Tatiana on her accomplishments so far and sincerely wish her all the best in her wonderful learning journey!

Zonta Club of Oak Brook lent their support to the North America Inter-District Meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana. As part of Zonta International District 6, the host district for NAIDM 2023, our members were called upon to help with setup, to welcome other Zonta members and their guests as Hotel Door Greeters, to distribute breakfast bars each morning with smiles on our faces as Hoosier Hospitality Aides, and to pass out box lunches to those who had ordered them as Lunch Servers.

The six of us participated in all the sessions and immersed ourselves in the rich opportunities to learn from one another in workshops sharing successful experiences and exchanging ideas, to make new friends and reconnect with former friends, and bring back ideas for increasing our club’s impact in our local  communities through Zonta’s mission of empowering women through service and advocacy. It was a time to be inspired by trailblazer women keynote speakers:

• Lyn St. James (named “Top 100 Female Athletes of the Century” by Sports Illustrated, set 31 national and international speed records and succeeded in the sport of auto racing at levels unparalleled by any other woman)
• Terri Talbert-Hatch (retired dean of students for the Purdue School of Engineering & Technology, IUPUI, current associate faculty and consultant for PSET/IUPUI, and Administrative Consultant for Dallara USA, the sole supplier of open-wheel cars for Indycar American Championship)
• Lynsey Liguori (inspired by Terri Talbert-Hatch, Lynsey tested with Ford Racing Development as part of their development program. Following high school graduation, she moved to Indianapolis and enrolled in IUPUIA and became involved in SWE and the motorsports club. Following graduation, she and her husband helped lead an all-girls racing team for 4 years. Lynsey completed her degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology with a certificate in motorsports, has worked at 3 companies since graduation, and is currently at Wabash in Lafayette, IN where she serves as a Sr. Quality Manager responsible for 5 plants.

The Zonta Club of Oak Brook is bursting with pride to announce that our 2023 Young Women in Public Affairs Award goes to Catherine Tang, recent graduate of Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, Illinois, and a repeat winner, having also received our 2022 Young Women in Public Affairs Award.

Bon Voyage to Catherine as she embarks on her life’s journey.Here are just a few of her accomplishments so far!

Catherine’s involvement in Public Affairs is beyond outstanding. Her involvement Public Affairs within her high school includes serving as Co-Founder and Co-President of her school’s law club, serving as a Student Representative on the Student Safety Committee, meeting monthly, consisting of the principal, deans,  teachers, counselors, parents, and representatives from the local fire and police departments; working with other students to create a Mental Health Advisory Board and implemented her school’s first Mental Health First Aid program partnering with the Josselyn Center, which trained more than 1,500 students and staff in how to respond to mental health crises. Catherine also has been deeply  involved  with Public Affairs outside of her school, including her position as Head of Outreach and Communications of The Sex Ed Initiative (SEI), a youth-led advocacy organization, in which she led members to write Shattering the Taboo, an eighty-page sex-ed handbook fact-checked by college faculty and public health professionals; Catherine was featured by the Chicago Tribune for publishing the handbook and implementing it as material in 10 health curriculums across the US and South Korea.

Volunteering  six hours every week as an Online ESL Tutor for Project: VISION, she worked work one-on-one with middle schoolers from Chicago’s Chinatown, Bridgeport, and surrounding communities to improve their English skills. During her high school summers  years, Catherine volunteered at her local library – working the circulation desk in the Fiction & Media Department, assisting the Adult Literacy  teacher with lesson plans for weekly classes, and leading Spanish Storytime for ESL kindergarteners.

Beyond school and community, Catherine also had broader experience:
Executive Board President of Glenbrook North High School’s World Languages Honor Society

2020 Youth Ambassador to Argentina and Chile through USYA
 (Spanish leadership exchange scholarship funded by the State Department)

2021 Peer Mentor for the Experiment Digital Climate Change & the Environment Program

2023 Alumni Summit for Leadership in Washington DC
 (75 program alumni from 25 countries across the Western Hemisphere)

Policy Assistant for Illinois State Representative Carroll, Illinois’ 57th District
(Working on actual proposed legislation on gender equality, Title IX, and protection for victims of sexual assault)