UPDATES ON PREVIOUS WINNERS!

2012 - 2013 Award winners

$1000 - Ellen Kay Winter (Cassandra Teegarden) Beauty 

Business Entrepreneur

I have been doing extremely well, I recently graduated from beauty school almost 3 

weeks ago and will be taking my boards within the next month to be certified. I ended up dropping hair, so I am only an esthetician and nail tech now, but I couldn't be any happier. Beauty school was probably the hardest but most rewarding thing I have done so far in life and I am so excited to start working my forever job, making women feel beautiful inside and out!! 

$2000 - Brittany Joylin Kent (Karen Wright) school for viticulture, 

Enology ee-nol-o-jee) is the science and study of all aspects of wine and 

winemaking except vine-growing and grape-harvesting, which form a 

subfield called viticulture. and Hospitality

(503)757-1577). Let me start off by saying life has been very good to me. When you last saw 

me I was at the Hoedown in 2013, which was right around the time of harvest for Ken Wright 

Cellars. Many of you may not have seen my hands, which were colored purple by the labor of 

punching down to sorting grapes. Soon after that great event I was continuing my education 

through Chemeketa. Then around Christmas time I took a lovely trip  to Florida where I ran a full 

marathon, in case you did not know that's 26.2 miles! Whew! It was hard work but I even did it 

while being 3 months pregnant. 

My trip seemed short, but I made it back to the heart of wine country, and set forth in taking some 

more classes in the spring term. I took a semester off and will be back this spring term through 

Chemeketa to continue my education. While I’m also at it, I am learning about wines all over the 

world because I plan on taking the first section for the court of master sommeliers.  I'm back at 

KWC full time and successfully tackling my goals and continuing to coordinate events in the winery. 

Last week I took down the paper lanterns and pulled up the dance floor for what was spectacular 

father daughter ball, which was WAY too much pink. Now I will be setting up for the next event 

which I'm helping Ken coordinate. This is going to be BIGGER event, almost 350 plus people in the 

winery for a charitable auction, called Flavors of Carlton. Oh and while I'm at it I continue to help in 

the cellar, if we are short people on the bottling line or you can find me on the barrels topping. Yes I 

can pick up a huge and heavy latter. Those mama baby carrying arms are coming quite handy!  

And so you ask what I am doing with my life right now... I am staying a busy little mama overcoming 

and achieving so many goals and obstacles in my life and career. "The Wright way". Just as many 

women should be doing! 

 

$3000 - Elizabeth Strickland (the arts, Piano performance)

Since I received the Cathy Stoller Memorial Scholarship, I have continued my studies at 

the University of Oregon School of Music studying piano performance with Dr. Dean 

Kramer. One of the most exciting highlights of last year was getting accepted to the 

Aspen Music Festival and School for the past summer and getting the chance to study 

with concert pianist Anton Nel. I have also gotten a new job working as a piano teacher 

with 28 private students at O'Hara Catholic School in Eugene. This spring I will be 

presenting a recital in Eugene for my degree, and in the summer I will be attending the 

Classical Music Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria. 

$5000 - Shannen Sunseri Health Management/Business

Things are going really great for me right now.  I am still employed at The Corvallis 

Clinic and was recently promoted to a Medical Staff Analyst.  I am also looking into 

some online masters programs which I plan to enroll in this next Fall while I work.  My 

fiancé and I are also currently looking for a new home in the Corvallis area as he just 

accepted a job at Country Financial as a financial planner.  We are both also very busy 

wedding planning for our wedding on June 26, 2015. 

I would love for you and all the ladies to know that your generous gift to me is still 

paying off as I begin to prepare for these huge yet exciting life changes!  To this day 

cannot thank you enough and I continue to strive for success and one day be a 

contributing member of WOW!

Sincerely, 

Shannen Sunseri 

2013 – 2014  Award Winners

Kailee Michelsen $500

503-319-2507; Kailee1472@aol.com 

I have started college at George Fox University and am in a biology program.  I have been 

doing really well in school and am still planning on going into human medicine after this 

university.  I have still been showing horses and been doing great in that with my miniature who 

I have been training myself. Also I am now helping coach the Newberg High schools equestrian 

team with my mom.

Ariane Kunze - $500

503-806-7221; arianekunze@gmail.com

Ariane Kunze is currently a full time video producer at The Columbian newspaper in 

Vancouver, WA. She creates short video pieces that tell the many inspiring and meaningful 

stories of the people, places and events in the community. Some of these include Christmas 

in prison, the story of a two-time breast cancer survivor and the story of a deaf-blind 

percussionist. Ariane is still pursuing her work on the issue of sex trafficking in Portland 

and hopes to collaborate with the local nonprofit, Compassion First, to produce a 

documentary about the issue in the upcoming year. 

Miranda DeVore - $500

Box #4562 414 N. Meridian St. Newberg, OR 97132; 503-545-7315; mdevore10@georgefox.edu

I am currently in the process of completing my student teaching at David Douglas High 

School with their art department, which will last through June. I will be graduating this 

August from Lewis & Clark Graduate school of Education and Counseling with a Master of 

Arts Degree in Art Education with an endorsement in ESOL. I have just started the process 

of applying for positions and hope that I will start as a new teacher some where here in 

Oregon this coming fall. Thank you all for your support in this endeavor and I hope that the 

next group of girls you help inspire to accomplish their goals have as positive of an 

experience as I've had.

Sincerely,

Miranda DeVore

Josi Fettig $1000 Schooling, Business

503-899-2651 josiannie98@gmail.com

I have used my college experience to land me a job working in the accounting 

department of Precision Countertops; working with a team of 5 other women processing 

accounts, comparing retail and company figures, and billing accounts on a daily basis. I 

work in the corporate office that  handles all accounts from California, Oregon, Idaho, 

Montana, Washington, and Alaska. I love my job and moved up very quickly taking on 

more responsibility than ever before. I accepted a volunteer position through my work to 

be the events coordinator for employee appreciation events; where I will coordinate 

catering and locations for company events. I look forward to working with the directors 

and managers of my company on these events using my experience in catering and 

networking through working at my parents deli "Jacs Deli and Frozen Custard".   

I moved from my home in Newberg with my family to my own apartment where I live 

with my dog Jasper I recently rescued from the humane society. When I am not 

working, I am training and working with Jasper to become more comfortable with 

people, social situations, and other dogs. 

I am still very involved in the Newberg Community and am serving as the volunteer 

coordinator for the Newberg Old Fashioned Day Festival. I also attend some of the 

WOW events that I feel will help give me great life lessons and experience to drive my 

career path forward. 

Michaela Bailey 503-333-0667 – $2000 Family and Human services

Things are going well for me! I am staying VERY busy, as usual! I am finishing up my junior year at the

 University of Oregon and as House Manager at the Trinity House. I am in the Family and Human Services-

Early Childhood Emphasis program at the U of O, and I have decided to focus on early childhood. I am also

 minoring in Special Education. Through my program, I have interned at three different sites in Eugene this

 year. In the fall, I was interning at Relief Nursery, which is an early intervention program for child abuse and

 neglect prevention. Here I worked in the classroom with the three-year-olds. In the winter, I interned at Pearl

 Buck Preschool, which is a preschool for children whose parents have disabilities. Some of the children here

 have developmental delays and disabilities, but not all of them. I worked in the two-year-old classroom. For

 my spring term site, I have been working at Youth For Christ in the Parent Life program, which is a program

 for teen parents. I have been teaching parenting classes, planning events and fundraisers, and been able to

 connect with the teen parents. Next year, I will continue with Youth For Christ in their teen parent program

 all year long and complete a senior project there. I am on track to graduate in the spring of 2016 and hope to

 find a job working with young children and teen parents somewhere in the Portland area after I graduate.

 
 
In November, my friend Lindsey found out she was in remission and cancer free! She is now doing well and

 continuing to recover more and more every day. Lindsey and I are moving into an apartment in

 Eugene together this summer and will live together next year during the school year as well. I will stay in

 Eugene this summer to take a couple classes and work. 
  

Alice Queriolo $3000 (civil engineering)

971-267-7821; queirolo14@up.edu 

Since the scholarship dinner last year I have graduated from the University of Portland.  

Over the summer I had a civil engineering internship with the city of McMinnville and I am 

currently looking for my first 'real' engineering job. 

I am also recovering from  an unexpected medical event. In October I was diagnosed with a 

brain tumor and there were some complications during surgery. So I have been busy with 

outpatient therapies over the last couple of months but they are going well and I hope to 

start working in a few months.

Alice

 

Shanna Brownlee - $5000

503-866-1802; shanna.brownlee@gmail.com;; sbrownlee13@georgefox.edu

Since winning the WOW scholarship I have been very dedicated to my studies.  I have 

received straight As throughout the GFU nursing program and continue to push myself 

scholastically.  I hope to learn as much as I can within Nursing.  I started clinicals last fall 

and was at WIllamete Valley Medical helping patients on med surg.  This term I am at 

Newberg Providence.  I have been able to learn many new tasks and skills.  I have placed 

IVs, placed catheters, hung IV bags, wound care, witnessed OR surgery, and have written 

countless care plans.  I have been thrilled to experience all that I have thus far.  

Next year is my senior year and I will be placed in a practicum somewhere.  I am hoping to 

get the opportunity to work in ICU or ER.  After Senior year I hope to pass my NCLEX with 

flying colors and hopefully get a job within Legacy, Providence, or OHSU.

Personally I have been very busy enjoying life along with studying hard.  I took a trip to 

Napa, Hawaii, Mexico, and have been also focusing on being healthy! I have adopted a 

gluten free diet and have also gotten very involved with spin/cycling.  I also have been 

volunteering with Classic Wine Auction.  I am on their committee for Corks + Forks and our 

event will be held June 11th! This spring and summer I hope to find time for golf and more 

out door activities like hiking.

Though nursing takes up a lot of my time and energy I have been enjoying the process and 

thank everyone who has helped me get to where I am today!

Thank you again for the support!

Sincerely

Shanna Brownlee