See whom the Stanislaus County Commission for Women is honoring as outstanding this year
In annual observance of Women’s History Month, the Stanislaus County Commission for Women long has honored some of the county’s Outstanding Women and Outstanding Young Women.
The 44th annual Outstanding Women of Stanislaus County Awards Brunch will be held at 10 a.m. March 25 at Greens on Tenth, 953 10th St., Modesto. For more information and a link to buy tickets, go to www.stanislauswomen.net.
Thirteen women are being feted this year. Here’s a little bit to know about each:
Outstanding women
Ana Andrade — The Patterson resident advocates for women and children in her work with Project Sentinel, a nonprofit organization that assists individuals with housing discrimination, evictions and rental issues. She also has worked with Invest in Me, teaching young women self-empowerment and leadership skills. She presents to community organizations about tenant rights and advocates for housing policies to benefit immigrant families in the community. Andrade is part of the Stanislaus Latino Giving Circle, investing in local Latino-led nonprofit groups in underserved communities. Her professional career includes working as a deputy probation officer.
Katie Barber — Barber is a co-founder of the Modesto Children’s Museum and has dedicated the last three years to establishing the institution, which will open this year and expand education opportunities for children and families. As president of the nonprofit’s board, she mobilized volunteers to raise funds and write grants to create a museum accessible to all children, regardless of income, language or ability. It will provide resources to educators as well as families, such as parenting workshops and early childhood education services. In addition, Barber raised funds to refurbish the Graceada Park pool and splash pad in honor of her late son, Ryan Barber.
Annie Benisch — Benisch grew up in Modesto and works at Boyett Petroleum, directing its annual Make Dreams Real event, raising $250,000 for distribution to children’s causes in our community and chairing the grants committee to decide how to spend the money. She participates in community programs including DOMO Murals, Gallo Center for the Arts and the Education Foundation of Stanislaus County. She was named outstanding new member of Modesto Sunrise Rotary, where she chairs the social committee. She supports Opera Modesto guest artists and Modesto Nuts season players by hosting them in her home.
Dina Brambila — Turlock resident Brambila works for Modesto City Schools as Franklin Elementary’s Healthy Start administrator, developing support services to create a safe and healthy community. She serves as a board member for the Hispanic Leadership Council and Central Valley Hispanic Foundation, is a Soroptimist volunteer and formerly was a board member of Mujeres Latinas of Stanislaus. Since 2019, Brambila has traveled to Uganda as a missionary volunteer, assisting physicians with medical services, teaching yoga classes and making mental health presentations to refugees.
Maria Cortez — From Turlock, Cortez is the Central Valley regional director of Able Works, a nonprofit working for economic justice in Northern California. She has over 18 years of experience working with nonprofit and leadership development organizations. She serves as a board member for City Ministry Network and works closely with its Latino Leadership Initiative to develop the next generation of compassionate, collaborative leaders in our community. Cortez also is on Love Stanislaus County’s Community Advisory Committee and was named the 2021 Empowerment Woman of the year by Modesto Junior College.
Jeani Ferrari — In 1999, Turlock resident Ferrari started the nonprofit Farmland Working Group to share information with the public about the loss of farmland, leading to the passage of Stanislaus County’s Measure E, which protects agricultural land from development. She served on the committee to redesign Turlock’s Main Street and later helped establish the Turlock Certified Farmers Market. Ferrari was instrumental in remodeling the Carnegie Arts Center by raising funds and revitalizing the work after a serious fire. She also worked to add an oncology unit at Emanuel Medical Center and helped raise funds to create cardiovascular surgery suites there.
Chelsea Foy — Modestan Foy is a founding board member of Modesto Children’s Museum, serving as its chair of marketing and programming. Since 2019, the board has raised over $8 million that will go toward improving the lives of children and families through visiting the museum and participating in its programs. After a career as a choral director and traveling musical theater performer, Foy has been active with YES (Youth Entertainment Stage) Company and the Downtown Modesto Partnership. In 2018, she was named Soroptimist of the Year and was among The Modesto Bee’s 20 Under 40 honorees.
Tahmirah Mecca — Mecca lives in Patterson and graduated from Invest in Me’s first cohort in 2013. She returned to the organization as a volunteer and works to help women collaborate for their personal and professional advancement. She facilitates Love Notes, in which young women learn about establishing healthy relationships. As a first-generation college student, she serves as a model for girls and seeks a career in public policy to bring equitable resources to the Central Valley so that it is a community of choice, where residents can thrive.
Shabnam Mujaddidi — A refugee from Afghanistan, Mujaddidi helps others with similar experiences. She is a student leader in Hambastagizanan (Women United), a group at Modesto Junior College that helps Afghan women refugees recognize and overcome the challenges they experience as new residents and students. She also was invited to speak to MJC’s chancellor and board of trustees as a representative of Hambastagizanan. Mujaddidi helps welcome newly arrived refugees at community gatherings in Modesto and Turlock, also providing local leaders with short expressions in Dari to assist them with communication.
Outstanding Young Women
Dhara Patel — The Modesto High senior in the International Baccalaureate program is involved with many student activities, including Academic Decathlon and California Girls State. She is the student representative to Modesto City Schools’ Board of Education, representing all 30,000 students in the district. She maintains a high GPA and participates in track and cross country. She also created the Stanislaus County Volunteer Outreach Program club, which organizes and funds volunteer opportunities.
Ameena Pierstorff — Enochs High senior Pierstorff is the school photojournalism editor and chief staff photographer for the yearbook, contributing to the school winning many journalism awards. She is on the varsity swim team. Pierstorff serves on Stanislaus County’s Youth Empowerment Team and Modesto’s Youth Commission, concerned with youth mental health and programs that impact young people. She has coached special needs youth for the Miracle League. She aspires to earn a degree in psychology and aid students who face mental health challenges.
Hannah Sahota — Sahota is a senior at Turlock High concerned with helping young girls gain access to math and science education. Inspired to study STEM by Stanislaus State math Professor Viji Sundar, Sahota was determined that the programs Sundar established did not disappear after her death. So she founded Hannah’s Project, securing partnerships and funding from the American Association of University Women and Dignity Health. The project sponsored a young student to attend math and science camp. Sahota also participates in the Stanislaus County Office of Education’s Leadership Academy and hosts a radio show, “Empowerment and Equality.” She plans a career as an OB-GYN.
Audrey Smallwood — Smallwood, a senior, is a two-sport athlete who maintains excellent grades at Turlock High. She co-founded Kitchens for Change, a club dedicated to tackling food insecurity in Turlock. She worked with chefs and used her family’s restaurant kitchen to make meals, plus raise over $18,000 to provide food for needy families. At a young age, Smallwood participated in a Jessica’s House grief support group and now serves as youth ambassador for its Healing Hearts Capital Campaign, which has raised almost $7 million to build a new grief support center. She also volunteers as a group facilitator for children experiencing loss of a loved one.
