Young Women

The recent graduation at Clark Magnet High School (“'We're all going to bigger and better things'“ June 17) was a reason to celebrate and honor the achievements of the senior class, but it was unfortunately tainted by the disruption of two air horns that were set off during the proceedings. What is particularly distressing is that the school’s principal, Doug Dall, specifically requested that the audience refrain from this action, saying that it would be an interruption from the flow of the ceremony and would detract from hearing all graduates’ names being announced.

I'm writing to share a story about a hard-working group of city employees. We who live in the canyons are required to clear our hillsides every year. Recently I learned that the city's Neighborhood Services has a fee-based service that clears hillsides in the city. Their estimate was very competitive, I hired them and I'm very pleased with the results. I recommend their services to everyone. Lynn McGinnis Glendale Join the fight for women’s rights Even as young women graduate in record numbers from U.S. high schools and colleges this month, they still face many barriers.

The YWCA of Glendale is having its 14th annual Legacy Luncheon beginning at 11:30 a.m. Thursday at The Castaway Restaurant in Burbank. This year’s luncheon will honor five women with the Heart & Excellence Awards and two high school seniors with the Jane O’Connor Community Service Volunteer Award. The guest Speaker is Christina Avaness, author of “Living Beyond Organic.” Mistress of ceremonies is Michaela Pereira of KTLA’s Morning Show. Five women will receive the Heart and Excellence Award.

Martial arts instructor Nelson Nio comes up from behind, shoving Meri Mkrtumyan against a gym wall. In the blink of an eye, the 15-year-old swings around and demonstrates how she could pelt the instructor in the face with her elbow. A few minutes later, other girls around Mkrtumyan are doing the same thing, shoving each other against the wall while their partners try to defend themselves. In other demonstrations, Nio shows the girls maneuvers to defend themselves from attackers who may grab their throat, hair or arms.

NATIONAL CHARITY LEAGUE TICKTOCKERS PRESENTED National Charity League Inc., Glendale Chapter, honored its high school senior members, the Ticktocker Class of 2009, at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles on March 14. This annual presentation is in recognition of the hundreds of hours the young women have given to the community in their six years as Ticktockers. Glendale young women honored included Carley Ayres, Courtney Pietsch, Marissa Provenzano, Jessica Swan, Megan Turner and Lindsay Walter . Chapter president and Glendale resident Ellen Turner welcomed guests to “You’ll Be In My Heart.

LA CRESCENTA WOMAN’S CLUB GIVES SCHOLARSHIPS Every year, during the nine months that the La Crescenta Woman’s Club is in session, donations are given to myriad organizations, but June is the club members favorite month. That is when scholarships are awarded to exceptional young adults who are graduating from Crescenta Valley High School and Glendale Community College. This year, three young women from Crescenta Valley High School were awarded $500 each to help ease their way into their college careers.

Glendale Community College’s Los Robles Dining Room — newly dedicated to recently retired culinary arts professor Yeimei Wang — was the setting for the announcement of 24 students who received scholarships from the Patrons Club on Thursday. Superintendent-President Audre Levy handled introductions with aplomb. About 70 patrons and guests were treated to a gourmet chicken lunch, courtesy of the culinary arts students and lab assistant Janet Ghooks . The Patrons Scholarship Committee co-chairs were Karen Wharton and Lois Edwards . Committee members present were Flora Corsini, Lois Solomon, Betty Myers, Betty Musacco and Judy Gorham . The 24 scholarship winners, all of whom had to have a grade point average of 3.0 or better, were Victor Garcia, Yasmin Abedin, Tamara Baskin, Marcela Portillo, Don Pyne, Megan Kelly, Aram Pogosian, Edit Arakelyan, Annie Aivazian, Binh Le, Quincy Yamada, Kerissa Reid, Vahik Safarian, Rebecca Kandilian, Paul Valdez, Elizabeth Ball, Aylin Akoopi, Pamela Glazier, Aris Avanessian, Christopher Khrlobian, Brian Lynch, Lesly Galvan, Mahboba Azizi and Joseph Barbara . These students are either graduating or transferring to four-year universities.

Glendale officials will help make the future brighter for 50 underprivileged girls starting next week. With a new program called "Rosie Goes to Wall Street," the city's Commission on the Status of Women will teach a series of skill sets to a select group of young women between the ages of 14 and 19. "We got the idea of 'Rosie goes to Wall Street' from several conferences that we've gone to and adapted it to Glendale and our needs," Commissioner...

Selma Stevens counts supporting and mentoring young women as her greatest accomplishment. The Glendale resident has helped women and girls through both her vocation and her avocation, she said. The 80-year-old former hospital administrator is passionate about reaching out to women, whether it's through her involvement with Temple Sinai's sisterhood committee or with her own circle of friends who came to her for guidance. She credits her mother, and her own type-A personality, with allowing her to give to young women.