Angelina Xu of Basking Ridge, NJ was named the recipient of the 2021 Zonta International District 3, Young Women in Public Affairs (YWPA) Award. Ms. Xu was also the recipient of this award bestowed locally by the Zonta Club of Morristown Area.
The goal of the Zonta International YWPA Award program is to encourage young women to participate in public affairs by recognizing a young woman’s commitment to the volunteer sector, evidence of volunteer leadership achievements and a dedication to the empowerment of women.
Applicants are asked to reflect on their voluntary commitment to their school and their community and the problems limiting the empowerment of women in their own country and worldwide. The Zonta International YWPA Award program looks to the young women of today for the leaders of tomorrow.
Ms. Xu was selected as the 2021 Zonta International Zonta Club of Morristown Area YWPA Award recipient, in part, because she presented her goal of meshing the concepts of research and patient care, while decreasing the costs of therapies. Ms. Xu will attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - with plans to study Public Health Policy and to eventually become a doctor. She would like to see barriers to careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) be reduced as she believes that education is the most powerful weapon to change the world.
Applications for the 2022 Zonta International YWPA Award will be available in August 2021 at zonta.org/YWPAAward. Applicants aged 16-19 on April 1st, each year, studying at a secondary school, college, or university in a Zonta district/region, or who are studying elsewhere but are citizens of a Zonta country at the time of application, are eligible to apply. The application must be submitted via a Zonta club and applicants may use the Club Locator to find the nearest Zonta club. Applicants must contact the Zonta club for deadline information.
Some of the organizations the Zonta Club of Morristown Area supports include: Operation Holiday, Centenary Stage Company’s Women Playwright’s Series, Jersey Battered Women’s Service (JBWS), and the Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey (GSNNJ), as well as numerous other community-based projects. The Zonta Club of Morristown Area meets monthly. Members live in various counties throughout Northern NJ. New members are welcome and can get membership information at www.zontamorristown.com.
Zonta International (www.zonta.org) is a leading global organization of professionals empowering women worldwide through service and advocacy. More than 29,000 members in 61 countries work together to make gender equality a worldwide reality for women and girls. Since 1923, Zonta International has provided more than US$41.2 million to empower women and girls and expand their access to education, health care, economic opportunities, and safe living conditions.
