Applications will open soon for the 2023-2024 Joan Johnson Fellowship Award in the amount of $3500. Awardees must be enrolled in a graduate program at an accredited institution of higher education and reside in Los Angeles County, California. Preference will be given to applicants who have faced obstacles in pursuing their education (e.g., poverty, racism, violence, teen pregnancy, former foster care, single parent, substance abuse disorder) and who have career goals or volunteer experience that relate to the betterment of women and girls. A completed application and essay, along with the required materials (proof of enrollment, proof of residence in LA County, two letters of reference from professors) is due by January 19, 2024. A personal interview is required of finalists and will take place on Friday, February 9th by zoom. If you have any questions, please contact us at Fellowship@Soroptimist-LosAngeles.org.

A little bit about Joan D. Johnson

As a treasured member of SI of Los Angeles for many years, Joan was instrumental in overseeing our Graduate Fellowship award.  The award was renamed in her honor after her death in 2016.

For her memorial service, Billie Jean King wrote of Joan: “When it came to college tennis, she was a game changer. And for me, she was a life changer.” Al Marino, a colleague and friend, praised Joan as “a talented and accomplished woman who led with honesty, integrity, and a definitive vision…,” to whom “every girl and woman who ever donned an athletic uniform since the ‘70s owes a debt.”

For more about Joan D. Johnson and other notable members, see our Notable Members page on our website.