The 2025 Women's History Month theme was Moving Forward Together: Women Educating & Inspiring Generations.
Nineteen members and guests Zoomed into our March 17 branch meeting to hear Cal Poly student Karina Saldivar and Cal Poly professor Dr. Joni Roberts discuss their research interests and educational journeys.
Karina, the 2024-25 recipient of the Lynn S. Janeway Memorial Scholarship, spoke first. She talked about being a transfer student from Cuesta College. Although she was able to be more active in student life while at the community college, she remains committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion as she completes her degree in Spanish and contemplates continuing on at Cal Poly in education. Her senior project is a short film on maize, exploring the development, domestication, and adaption of this ancient grain through time. After she graduates, she'll travel to Pammukale, a small town in Türkiye where she will reconnect with an older female friend to learn how to cook traditional Turkish food under her expertise. George Janeway commented that Lynn would have been very pleased to know that her scholarship is supporting such a deserving student!
Born in Jamaica, Dr. Joni Roberts worked for a number of years in education before returning to college for her Doctorate in Public Health. Her experiences working with children and their families convinced her that she could be doing something more direct in helping the families address the health inequities that they faced as people of color from marginalized communities. She provided us with many examples of the sexual and reproductive health inequities that Black women face, including women with power and influence such as Beyonce and Venus Williams. At Cal Poly, Dr. Roberts leads the Sexual and Reproductive Health Lab, where she and her team "research ways to improve sexual health education and reduce health disparities. [Their] work aims to provide people with the knowledge and tools they need to make informed decisions about their health." We also learned that Dr. Roberts loves cooking, especially Jamaican food. We hope to have her back after she returns from her year-long sabbatical in Malawi to share that experience with us and give us some cooking tips, too!
Both speakers were very inspiring, to us and to each other! Thanks go to Patricia Ponce for setting up Joni's presentation, and to Karina and Joni for sharing the work that they are doing!
Nineteen members and guests Zoomed into our March 17 branch meeting to hear Cal Poly student Karina Saldivar and Cal Poly professor Dr. Joni Roberts discuss their research interests and educational journeys.
Karina, the 2024-25 recipient of the Lynn S. Janeway Memorial Scholarship, spoke first. She talked about being a transfer student from Cuesta College. Although she was able to be more active in student life while at the community college, she remains committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion as she completes her degree in Spanish and contemplates continuing on at Cal Poly in education. Her senior project is a short film on maize, exploring the development, domestication, and adaption of this ancient grain through time. After she graduates, she'll travel to Pammukale, a small town in Türkiye where she will reconnect with an older female friend to learn how to cook traditional Turkish food under her expertise. George Janeway commented that Lynn would have been very pleased to know that her scholarship is supporting such a deserving student!
Born in Jamaica, Dr. Joni Roberts worked for a number of years in education before returning to college for her Doctorate in Public Health. Her experiences working with children and their families convinced her that she could be doing something more direct in helping the families address the health inequities that they faced as people of color from marginalized communities. She provided us with many examples of the sexual and reproductive health inequities that Black women face, including women with power and influence such as Beyonce and Venus Williams. At Cal Poly, Dr. Roberts leads the Sexual and Reproductive Health Lab, where she and her team "research ways to improve sexual health education and reduce health disparities. [Their] work aims to provide people with the knowledge and tools they need to make informed decisions about their health." We also learned that Dr. Roberts loves cooking, especially Jamaican food. We hope to have her back after she returns from her year-long sabbatical in Malawi to share that experience with us and give us some cooking tips, too!
Both speakers were very inspiring, to us and to each other! Thanks go to Patricia Ponce for setting up Joni's presentation, and to Karina and Joni for sharing the work that they are doing!
