Financial support is often the cornerstone of academic success, and for many students, scholarships open the door to higher education. Beyond easing financial stress, these awards provide recognition, motivation, and a sense of belonging, allowing students to focus on their academic and professional growth.
For more than five decades, the Women’s Club at UCF has long championed the power of scholarships to transform lives. The club raises funds to support both undergraduate and graduate students, with undergraduate awards named in honor of the club’s first ladies and reserved for nontraditional, full-time students who demonstrate outstanding potential.
Graduate scholarships are presented in honor of Sheila B. Somerville, a beloved member of the Women’s Club whose legacy lives on through the Sheila B. Somerville Endowed Graduate Scholarship. After her passing, her husband, Paul Somerville, a professor emeritus of statistics and data research at UCF, established the scholarship with a generous $100,000 endowment. It remains one of the most significant gifts in the club’s history and continues to support promising graduate students in their academic journeys.
To date, the Women’s Club at UCF has awarded 527 scholarships and more than $250,000 to support full-time graduate students.
Since its founding in 1969, the Women’s Club at UCF has remained unwavering in its mission to support students. Today, its 194 members embody the motto moving forward by giving back. To date, they’ve awarded 527 scholarships and more than $250,000 from their endowment fund to support full-time graduate students. Each Sheila B. Somerville Scholarship awards $1,500 over two academic terms, helping recipients further their education.
This year’s awardees, Anastasija Popkova, Catherine Johnson, and Saba Mohammad Hosseini, exemplify perseverance, academic excellence, and a commitment to giving back. Their achievements reflect the transformative power of education and the importance of supporting future leaders.
Anastasija Popkova
From a young age, Anastasija Popkova knew she wanted to be a mental health counselor. The support she received from her therapist in middle school inspired an early appreciation of self-awareness and emotional education.
“The self-empowerment and self-awareness techniques I learned really empowered me and [helped] me … understand myself, family systems and cross-cultural behaviors,” she says. “It inspired me to want to teach others what I had learned in hopes that they would feel the same empowerment and have understanding for their society.”
Now pursuing her master’s in counselor education on the clinical mental health counseling track, Popkova is passionate about sharing that same sense of empowerment with her clients. That passion also extends to her research, which focuses on childhood trauma, community training clinics and the effectiveness of clinical interventions. Ultimately, she aims to work with adolescents, supporting their self-esteem, emotional regulation, and healing from generational trauma, with long-term goals of earning a doctoral degree, leading research projects, and mentoring future mental health counselors.
“In the future, I hope to be an inspiration for my clients to teach the techniques learned in therapy to their peers and family by leading as an example,” she says.
The Sheila B. Somerville Scholarship has been both affirming and impactful for Popkova. Beyond alleviating some of her financial stress, she says it’s allowed her to focus her energy on what she’s most passionate about — helping others.
“This award [has] made me feel seen — that my hard work is recognized and supported by a group of strong and amazing women who come together to empower students starting their careers,” Popkova says.
Catherine Johnson
A yoga therapist and studio owner, Catherine Johnson brings a holistic approach to mental health counseling. Her work is driven by the belief that individuals with complex or childhood trauma benefit greatly from therapeutic methods that incorporate both the body and mind.
Now a graduate student in the clinical mental health counseling program at UCF, Johnson is completing an internship at the Aspire Women’s Residential Center for Human Trafficking Survivors, where she provides both counseling services and trauma-informed yoga classes designed to help survivors reconnect with their bodies.
“This award enables me to focus on my studies and continue developing my unique services during the internship,” Johnson says. “It is my belief that many mental health issues stem from early learnings and survival responses to ongoing relational trauma in a person’s life, and that counseling methods that offer a holistic, ‘bottom up’ approach can change lives.”
Johnson is deeply committed to serving communities that may lack access to or awareness of holistic healing methods. Her program’s focus on serving resource-limited populations reflects her dedication to ensuring care is available to all.
“I love what I am doing at my internship site and feel ready and excited to begin my licensure process and serve … people who reach out for mental health services,” Johnson says.
She hopes to one day mentor other counselors interested in integrating holistic practices into their work.
Saba Mohammad Hosseini
Doctoral student Saba Mohammad Hosseini is carving out her own path in electrical engineering — a field she once found intimidating.
Although she’s always loved math, Hosseini initially hesitated to pursue electrical engineering because it seemed too difficult. At one point, she even considered studying architecture instead. But ultimately, she followed her passion and has never looked back.
“Though it is challenging, doing well in a tough field is very rewarding,” Hosseini says.
Now, she’s conducting innovative research that uses artificial intelligence to improve communication between vehicles and smart city infrastructure. Her work focuses on predicting the optimal positioning of data links between moving vehicles and nearby devices, such as traffic lights, to maintain continuous and reliable connections. The research supports safer, smarter driving experiences, including timely traffic alerts and accurate countdowns.
“I aim to grow both my engineering skills and my soft skills so I am ready for the job market, with a path that may include academia. I hope to keep balance in life, help my community and make a positive difference,” she says.
Hosseini’s time at UCF has been deeply enriching thanks to a supportive advisor and the opportunities she’s been given.
“My Ph.D. has not been easy, but the support I [have] at UCF has been incredible,” she says.
“This award will ease my education and living costs. It has already made me more excited about my academic path and [has] made me feel seen. One day, I hope to support students and pass that encouragement on.”
The Women’s Club at UCF remains committed to supporting exceptional students like Popkova, Johnson and Hosseini through scholarships and mentorship. Contributions to the Sheila B. Somerville Endowed Graduate Scholarship Fund help secure long-term support for graduate students, while gifts to current-use funds provide immediate assistance.
To learn more or to donate, visit the Women’s Club at UCF website.
