ESL Scholarship Winners Mayra Medrano and Yamile Zhiminaicela

Mayra Medrano and Yamile Vanessa Moscosa Zhiminaicela are the recipients of the Spring 2025 Peconic Bay ESL Scholarship. This award is presented twice yearly to one or two women who have successfully completed the level 3.4 English as a Second Language course at Suffolk County Community College and have indicated a desire to continue their education and career goals. They have also been highly recommended by their professors for their interest, motivation and academic skills.

Mayra Medrano is congratulated by Peconic Bay members (from left) Diane Greenberg, Geri Kazenoff, Betsy Kaplan and
Mary Ann Miller.

Medrano, married and mother of four young children, plans to continue her studies in business administration, a career path she started in her native country. This will enable her and her husband, a chef, to pursue their dream of establishing a restaurant. She would also like to use her language skills to serve as an interpreter for the students at her college.

Zhiminaicela, the oldest of three children, has a goal of completing college and setting an example for her younger siblings. She is considering nursing as a career but is aware that as she completes her education many doors will open to her and new ideas may evolve.

Yamile Zhiminaicela accepts her scholarship from Mary Ann Miller (left) and Geri Kazenoff.

Diane Loffredo, April 10, 1952 – November 23, 2024

Diane Loffredo had a big heart. She was outgoing, warm and friendly, quick to help others.

A member of Peconic Bay Zonta since 2017, she readily volunteered for service projects and advocacy activities. “Women’s issues are important,” she declared. Here is Diane wearing red to mark Equal Pay Day in 2019. In 2018, women had to work until April 2nd to make the same amount of money as men did.

Diane was a single mom, holding down multiple jobs at a time to make ends meet. She was a bus driver, she worked in a fish store, she sold real estate, she delivered newspapers, and she even wrote ads for newspapers.

Diane was active in the school district where the family lived. She was close to the teachers and served as president of the PTO. She was also very much involved with the Congregational Church in Wading River, where she sang in the choir and made special friends. She loved to sing and  knew all the words to every song.

At some point, she went back to school to become a court reporter. That was Diane’s last job before retiring when her health took a turn for the worse.

Diane was first diagnosed with cancer in 1991. Then came multiple bouts through the years. She battled cancer over and over again. Said her daughter, Sara, “In spite of it all, she lived with a smile and laughter.”

Family and friends are having a celebration of life for Diane Loffredo on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at the Wading River Congregational Church.

Peconic Bay Zonta Announces Local Scholarship Winners

Aysel Mortillo and Jackeline Villa are the newest recipients of a $350 scholarship each from Peconic Bay Zonta, a nonprofit organization that seeks to build a better world for women and girls. The local Zonta group awards scholarships to women who have successfully completed the level 3 English as a Second Language (ESL) course at Suffolk County Community College (SCCC) and have demonstrated an academic intent focused on a career goal.

Aysel Mortillo

Seven years ago, Mortillo emigrated from Turkey with her husband and toddler son, taking up residence in Greenport. She has been concurrently pursuing a master’s degree through long-distance education provided by the Faculty of Agriculture in Turkey along with continuing her education in the United States. She holds a college degree from the Faculty of Agriculture and had worked as an engineer for nine years before emigrating. Here in the U.S., Mortillo's goal is to transition into a nursing career. Her ESL classes at SCCC have afforded her the needed language skills and confidence to continue her education and career journey.

Villa, emigrating to the United States two years ago, has used her new language skills as a group leader working with children at Project Most in East Hampton, an after-school Saturday and summer program that coincides with the typical hours of working parents. Her language classes and work experience have put her on track to achieve her goal as a kindergarten teacher.

The members of Peconic Bay Zonta commend and are proud to aid and support the goals of the ESL winners in their pursuit of knowledge, career and community service.

President Biden Declares the ERA the Law of the Land!

On January 17, 2025, President Joe Biden issued the following statement from the White House: "I supported the Equal Rights Amendment for more than 50 years, and I have long been clear that no one should be discriminated against based on their sex. We, as a nation, must affirm and protect women's full equality once and for all."

Zonta International Scholarships/Awards

To fulfill its mission of empowering women worldwide, Zonta focuses on gender equality in education, an essential human right and critical to development for all.

Educated women can break the cycle of poverty.

• They can choose when to marry.
• They can choose if and when to have children.
• They can access quality health care to safeguard themselves and their children.
• And they can educate their own children and ensure greater opportunities for future generations.

Young Women in Leadership Award

The Young Women in Leadership Award recognizes young women, ages 16-19, who demonstrate superior leadership skills and a commitment to public service and civic causes, and encourages them to continue their participation in public and political life. The application process starts at the club level. The deadline for submitting an application to Peconic Bay Zonta is March 1, 2025. Click here to learn more. NOTE: For the 2024-2025 Zonta biennium, Zonta District 3’s Young Women in Leadership Award Committee is chaired by Mary Ann Miller of Peconic Bay.

Zonta Women in Business Scholarship

The Zonta Women in Business Scholarship supports women pursuing undergraduate and master’s degrees in business management. Learn more at the Zonta International Website. (This scholarship was formerly known as the Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship.) The application process starts at the club level. The deadline for submitting an application to Peconic Bay Zonta is June 15, 2025. Click here to learn more.

Zonta Women in STEM Award

The Zonta Women in STEM Award encourages women to pursue education, career opportunities and leadership roles in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering or mathematics. Click here to learn more.

Amelia Earhart Fellowship

The Amelia Earhart Fellowship expands opportunities for women pursuing advanced studies in the typically male-dominated fields of aerospace-related sciences and aerospace-related engineering. The fellowship is awarded annually to up to 30 women pursuing Ph.D./doctoral degrees in aerospace engineering and space sciences. Click here to learn more.

Pitching at the Holiday Market

From left, Kathy Walker, Liala Strotman, Geri Kazenoff, Santa, Betsy Kaplan, Vivian Daddino, Annika Shapiro

The occasion may have been shopping, but Peconic Bay members also used our Holiday Market fund raiser on December 7, 2024, to pitch Zonta's message of "Saying NO to Violence Against Women."

Diane Greenberg

This was our final activity for Zonta's 16 Days of Activism campaign, which ran from November 25 through December 10. Throughout, we wore the campaign's signature color orange to promote discussions about gender-based violence.

Annika Shapiro had invited 50 of her "friends of Zonta" to the Holiday Market, encouraging them to bring their children and grandchildren. At the market, she sought out older teens and engaged them in serious conversation about child marriage.

All in all, everyone had a good time for a good cause. Shoppers had a selection of holiday ornaments, wreaths, candles, centerpieces and stocking stuffers. Folks decorated cards and cookies, and Santa posed for photos.

The Killings of Young Mothers

The Killings of Young Mothers. That is the title of an opinion piece published in The New York Times. It's disturbing.

Most violence against women is committed by their husbands or intimate partners. Although homicides are not generally classified as pregnancy related, a woman's pregnancy has often played a part. And in these cases, the killer is often a husband or boyfriend.

As reported in The NY Times, the stress and emotional turmoil of a pregnancy can exacerbate an already abusive relationship.

That is what happened to 20-year-old Markitha Sinegal, new mother of twin baby girls. Her boyfriend, father of the twins, was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

The Times piece outlines potential interventions: gun control, access to contraceptions and to safe and affordable abortions, screening for intimate partner violence during obstetric visits, and connecting young women to victims' advocates. Also recommended are educational approaches, such as teaching young people what dangerous relationships look like.

Starting on November 25 and ending December 10, Zontians around the world are campaigning against gender-based violence. Look up "The Killing of Young Mothers," December 9, 2024, in The New York Times. Read Ms. Sinegal's story.