Yale University Women's Organization Scholarship Trust Fund

Life for “her” had always been about juggling – two jobs, family, the whirl and demands of the day to day. As years passed, returning to college became a distant dream. But a scholarship from the Yale University Women’s Organization (YUWO) Scholarship Trust Fund changed that. The college courses “she” took gave her the confidence to seek out and gain a leadership position in her job.

This story is like so many other stories of YUWO scholars – all have an affiliation with Yale, have experienced an interruption to their education and returned to complete their education. Thanks to the YUWO, one recipient went on to pursue a bachelor’s degree in organizational psychology at Albertus Magnus while another obtained her master’s in social work at the Nyack School of Social Work. A third scholar earned a doctorate in engineering management at George Washington University, while a fourth earned a degree in midwifery at the Yale School of Nursing.

“The most common experience is that women may be pursuing a bachelor`s degree and need to stop to raise a family, and it’s very hard for them to get back into the loop - working, managing the finances, going to school and taking care of their children,” says Jane Shaw, a member of the YUWO Scholarship Committee. Other scholarship recipients left college to care for an ill spouse or a parent. Some have come to the U.S. from other countries and had their education disrupted as they established their lives here.

YUWO was established in 1965 to make sure the community of Yale women – women who worked as faculty or staff or who had spouses or family who did – would have access to all the great resources of Yale, lectures, and cultural events. The group was a way to welcome women, to build community, to build friendships. The scholarships became central to the YUWO mission. Since 1972, YUWO has given 364 scholarship awards totaling $504,000.

Scholarships have always been central to the mission of YUWO members, women “who are highly committed to education,” Jane says. “Reading the scholarship applications, it’s very moving to see how hard women have to work to return to college.”

YUWO Now Accepting Scholarship Applications - Deadline to Apply March 31, 2023