The Mildred Jordan Sharp Scholarship is a one-year, merit-based award that recognizes female leaders at UC Berkeley. The scholarship is available for juniors and junior transfer students who have matriculated at Cal for at least one full semester. The Cal Alumni Association is excited to congratulate and celebrate the five recipients of this year’s Mildred Jordan Sharp Scholarship.
Dani Plascencia Delgado
Dani Plascencia is a fourth-year transfer student majoring in social welfare. As a Ronald E. McNair scholar, Dani intends to be in the small pool of Latinas with a Ph.D. As they continue their journey in higher education, they will be researching and advocating for the Latinx community on the macro-level by tackling the restrictive immigration and socio-political issues that pertain to Latinx undocumented, immigrant, and migrant families. Dani sees themselves in the small pool of Latinas with a Ph.D. They will be researching and advocating for the Latinx community on the macro-level by tackling the restrictive immigration and socio-political issues that pertain to Latinx undocumented, immigrant, and migrant families.
Daphney Saviotti-Orozco
Daphney Saviotti-Orozco is an avid artist, muralist, and painter. She strives to make a difference in public health advocacy. Her long-term goal is to integrate clinical medicine with public policy reform to minimize health disparities. Having grown up next to a refinery, she is especially motivated to tackle environmental toxins that affect underserved communities. Daphney plans to be a physician who advocates for public health advancements in underserved communities.
Hayley Lai
Hayley Lai is a junior studying economics and environmental science with a minor in public policy. She is passionate about global development, environmental equity, and sustainable finance. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Hayley lived in Wales and Canada before coming to Berkeley. During her time at Cal, Hayley has conducted environmental policy research at Berkeley Law School, led diversity initiatives in her finance club, and been involved in the Energy and Environmental Economics research apprenticeship. In the future, Hayley hopes to pursue her interests in sustainable finance and investing, while exploring environmental policy on a global scale.
Jessica Yang
Jessica Yang is a junior studying business administration and minoring in data science. She was raised in Colorado, where she developed a love for the outdoors and a passion for sustainability. At Berkeley, she has worked on projects addressing clean energy, education equity, and corporate social responsibility through Net Impact Berkeley. In her free time, she enjoys making jewelry, skiing, and camping. She hopes to pursue impact investing in the future. Jessica hopes to pursue a career in impact investing. By providing socially responsible startups and social enterprises with the capital to expand their ideas, their positive impact can be maximized.
Megan Yao
Megan Yao is a third-year student studying sociology, comparative literature, and Japanese at Cal. During her time at Berkeley, she served as an ASUC Senator representing the East Asian and international student communities, founded Heal Bridge, a culturally aware mental health platform for East Asian students, and created a fellowship program for female students studying East Asian politics and cultures. She hopes to study education law and dedicates her career to education equity for marginalized youth. Megan plans to apply for law school upon graduation, hopefully, to study education or family law and dedicate her career to non-profit work with my legal assets, specifically education equity for marginalized youth. She plans to upgrade the mental health advocacy group she founded to a more formalized non-profit org.
Learn how you can support students who demonstrate leadership, service, academics, and personal development through The Mildred Jordan Sharp Scholarship.