2007 Scholarship Competition Winners

First Lady of the West Names
13 Aspiring Women as Scholarship Winners

SPOKANE, Wash. - For 24 years, Linda Lael Miller has written about fictional women of the West overcoming overwhelming odds. Now the bestselling author has rewarded 13 real-life women with a Linda Lael Miller Scholarship for Women for trying to improve their lot in life through education.

In the 7th round of competition since Miller established her scholarships, 1,600 applicants from all 50 states and Canada sought funding for their academic dream. Their goals run the gamut, from improving the lives of the elderly and working with poor young women to practicing family law and becoming a nurse.

The common denominator? Every one of these women is older than 25 and knows first-hand how scarce funding can be for non-traditional female students trying to finish college.

It was this vacuum that Miller was trying to fill, when she decided to start funding an annual college scholarship program for women.

The author of more than 70 novels, Miller believes if you educate a woman you will impact endless future generations.

What she didn't expect was how inspiring she would find the women themselves.

This year's winners include a mother who uprooted her two children and moved to Arizona so her oldest son could receive state-of-the-art care for his cancer, a 60-year-old Vietnam-era veteran who refused to let poverty or a series of abusive relationships keep her from earning a college degree and an aspiring nurse who worked two jobs to support her family while caring for her ill father and surviving her own brain tumor.

"So many women with hopes and dreams and the courage, strength and determination to improve their lot in life through education," observed Miller.

In fact, Miller had planned to award 10 of the $1,000 scholarships this year but was so touched by the essays of four other applicants that she decided to fulfill their wishes as well. Miller says she hopes the funds will enable the winners to demonstrate to their children-and their children's children-that through education a woman can overcome adversity and succeed in life.

To be eligible for the scholarship program, a woman must be a U.S. or Canadian resident older than 25 years and enrolled in an accredited institution of learning. Winners may use the funds for books, tuition, daycare, transportation and other expenses not usually covered by scholarships.

Miller says winners are chosen based on individual essays in which they explain why they need the funds and what impact the scholarship would have on their lives and the lives of their families.

Miller, who endured her own share of hardships before building a career writing novels set in the West of today and yesterday, is known as the First Lady of the West. This year, the Romance Writers of America presented the author with its prestigious 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award. Her current New York Times bestseller, Deadly Gamble, will be followed by Deadly Deceptions in March.

The 2007 Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women recipients include:

Alisha Bartlett, 26, of Mesa, Ariz. At the age of three, Bartlett's first-born son was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. After his diagnosis, she uprooted her two children and moved to Arizona so he could receive proper medical care.

The life-altering diagnosis also led Bartlett to college so she will be better able to care for her family in the future, come what may.

Bartlett earmarked her funds for a new laptop computer that will allow her to be more mobile while pursuing a degree in information technology from the University of Phoenix Axia Online College.

"There is so much I want to accomplish in the future," said Bartlett. "I want to aim high and never settle . . . I have never been more determined to succeed in school."

Shannon Beecher, 29, of Englewood, Colo. Four years ago, Shannon Beecher was a drug addict living on the streets of Mesa, Ariz. She overcame her addiction, moved to Colorado and began taking classes at Arapahoe Community College. Her award is destined to pay for a year-round bus pass.

"A bus pass will go a long way in helping me to get to school and work and in continuing on the path I have begun to help my fellow man," said Beecher, who hopes to one day open a homeless shelter.

Janie Berry, 50, of Vancouver, Wash. When Berry was fresh out of high school, she dreamed of becoming a children's book author. Three children and a divorce saw that dream derailed, but she says she never gave up hope of one day earning a degree. She will use her scholarship funds to combat rising gasoline prices as she commutes to Clark College.

Meanwhile, she remains passionate about writing (her two-year-old granddaughter inspired her latest book) and maintains the positive outlook that has served her well for five decades.

"My own trials of cancer scares, operations, a car accident, pneumonia, Epstein Barr Virus and the effects from domestic abuse were merely stumbling blocks that forced me to spin my health and life around through education and fortitude," said Berry.

Alice Carleton, 60, of Rochester, Mich. Reared in extreme poverty in a home without refrigeration or a bathroom, Carleton knew at a young age that college was most likely not in her future. But she did what she could to change that reality, enlisting in the Women's Army Corp when she turned 18 during the Vietnam war.

Neither poverty nor abusive relationships could dampen her cheerful outlook on life and her dream of someday earning a degree and becoming a counselor for abused women. Carleton will use her scholarship for tuition costs at Oakland University in Rochester to do just that.

"My faith, wicked wit and sense of humor have stood me in good stead," Carleton admitted.

Stacy Cramer, 35, of Alameda, Calif. Determined to craft a better life for her young daughter and herself, Cramer began taking classes toward a nursing degree at the Hayward campus of Chabot College in 2005. Today she juggles the rigors of class work while maintaining a full-time job and caring for her daughter. Her funds help with the high cost of college textbooks.

Though the pace of her life can be grueling, Cramer believes the quality of her life is improving.

"I have never felt so much self-confidence as I feel now that I have returned to school," she said. "I realize how much potential I have and how important an education is. I am doing my best to be a role model for my daughter. I want her to see the importance of a college education."

Donna Denson, 42, of Fort Campbell, Ky. Reared in a family ravaged by alcoholism, Denson escaped home only to end up in an unhealthy marriage. After 13 years, she escaped again, finding sanctuary with friends. Today, Denson is the mother of six and remarried to a soldier who recently re-enlisted and is scheduled to be shipped out for a 15-month deployment. She says caring for a child with Noonan Syndrome, a genetic disorder that prevents normal development in various parts of the body, and seeing the compassionate care lavished on her daughter and her family during the long hospital stays led to her desire to become a nurse in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

"After seeing my daughter and what she went through, I want to help families... I want to make a difference," said Denson.

Amanda Gordon, 26, Colorado Springs, Colo. A childhood spent jumping from foster home to foster home left Gordon with few positive influences in her life until a high school math teacher stepped up to show her what life and family could be. Gordon credits that Fellowship of Christian Athletes adviser and teacher for showing her the power of optimism and forgiveness - and giving her the inner strength to eventually reconcile with her parents.

Mrs. Reynolds also encouraged her to continue her education, and now Gordon is working on a paralegal certificate from Pikes Peak Community College. She plans to earn a degree in sociology and pre-law, continue on to law school and eventually practice family law. Her scholarship will go toward tuition.

Gordon sees it all simply as payback to someone who cared enough to show her the way.

"It is now time for me to be the example and positive influence for my family and community," she said.

Julie Hadley, 36, of Windsor, Calif. A born caregiver, Hadley has always wanted to be a nurse, but caring for a father battling Lou Gehrig's disease and working two jobs to support her family took priority over her own wants. Then in 2006, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor, which left her deaf in one ear. Still Hadley persevered.

She will use her award to purchase a laptop and printer while attending Santa Rosa Junior College to earn a license as a registered nurse. She sees a day coming when she will be in a position to raise awareness about the symptoms and treatment options for acoustic neuromas, the tumor that almost claimed her own life.

"There is a lot of misinformation out there," said Hadley. "And after I graduate, I would like to work in neurology and advocate awareness of these types of brain tumors."

Nancy Lamphere, 45, Dike, Texas. Despite being a self-proclaimed "barn boss," a horseback riding instructor and someone who used horses to work with juvenile probation cases, Lamphere says it took her almost a lifetime to decide what she wanted to be when she grew up.

The answer: a licensed therapist who incorporates horses into her therapy sessions.

Her career choice comes as a response, she says, of seeing the powerful impact animals can have on people, especially people hurting inside.

Lamphere plans to use her award to purchase a new laptop and printer so she can be more mobile while finishing her associate degree in social work at Paris Junior College.

"I believe my natural gift of encouragement, along with my passion for horses, will be a powerful combination," Lamphere predicted.

Dawn Ogilvie, 29, Luck, Wis. After years working as a medical assistant and then with a local ambulance service, Ogilvie set her sights on a nursing degree from Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College. Her funds will go to purchase textbooks for the registered nurse program on the Rice Lake campus. Motivated by a desire to help others and to provide a good example for her daughter, she hopes to eventually work as an emergency room nurse and travel to poor areas of the country to work with children in need.

"I want to be able to show my daughter that it is possible to change your life and turn it in the right direction," said Ogilvie.

April Raymond, 35, Lemon Grove, Calif. For some time, Raymond has dreamed of bringing together the elderly and school children in a day-care environment in which seniors can escape the loneliness of old age and youngsters can have a safe place to thrive while their parents go to school.

Her idea is based on her belief that each generation has something to teach the other.

The single mother of two is working on a bachelor's degree in human services from the University of Phoenix with a goal of eventually establishing a nonprofit organization to make her center a reality. Her award will purchase a new laptop computer to make her role as an online student easier.

"I want to work with senior citizens to enhance their quality of living through proper meals, health care and general resources in the community," she said.

"Older generations can make a wonderfully positive impact on the younger generation through their wisdom and old-school morals. I think the day care center will uplift people on so many levels," Raymond said.

Jodi Rothrock, 41, Middletown, Pa. After losing her grandparents to heart disease, seeing her father through open-heart surgery and coming to the aid of her 35-year-old brother after a stroke, Rothrock became determined to earn a degree that would let her help people with heart problems.

A working mother of four, Rothrock will use her $1,000 award to defray the cost of commuting to Lancaster General College of Nursing and Health Sciences, where she is studying to become a cardiovascular invasive technician.

Obtaining the education she needs to fulfill her dream won't be easy, but Rothrock believes her motto - "keep showing up and never give up" - will see her through to graduation day.

Christine Sandoval, 31, Denver, Colo. After losing her parents to illness, a brother in the line of duty on his second day as a rookie police officer and another brother in a car accident, Sandoval considered herself something of a grief expert.

"I became an expert in planning funerals and coping with great loss - all before the age of 25," Sandoval admitted.

Maybe it was only natural that her own loss would lead her to a career in which she could help others walk through the darkness of losing a loved one. In the process of finishing her associate's degree in general studies at the Community College of Denver (her award will go to tuition costs there), Sandoval plans to earn a mortuary science degree at Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, Colo.

"I have become more passionate than ever to earn a college degree and begin a rewarding career in mortuary science," she said. "I feel (with this degree) I will be able to help others who, like me, have experienced great loss."


For more information on how to apply for a 2008 Linda Lael Miller Scholarship for Women, visit the author's website, www.LindaLaelMiller.com, where the rules, application forms and lists of past and present winners are available.

Interested parties may also write Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women, c/o Nancy Berland Public Relations, 2816 N.W. 57th St., Suite 101, Oklahoma City, OK 73112 or call 1-800-308-3169.