Our Mission Statement: Advancing gender equity for women and girls through research, education, and advocacy.
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) is the nation’s oldest and largest organization for women. Founded in 1881, AAUW is one of the world’s largest funders of graduate education and career development for women. AAUW has provided over $146M to more than 14,000 grantees in 152 countries.
Headquartered in Washington, DC, AAUW has more than 700 branches nationwide and 340 college/university partners.
The Fremont Branch serving the Tri-Cities of Fremont, Newark, and Union City, was founded in 1961 by thirteen teachers who aspired to promote education through community activism.
Each year the Fremont Branch sponsors: Mother-Daughter STEM Discovery Day for elementary school students, Tech Trek STEM summer camp for 7th graders, Speech Trek competition and Gov Trek public service leadership development program for high school students, and Ohlone College Scholarships for students passionate about social equity.
The Fremont Branch also hosts One Book, One Community Read, a popular annual reading program endorsed by the American Library Association designed to encourage community involvement by reading books that highlight issues related to the Tri-Cities.
A plethora of Special Interest Groups support the creative pursuits of members of all ages: Afternoon Lit and Book Talk book clubs, Cultural Cuisine, Exploring the Arts, Gifts to Give, Homeless Advocacy Project, Money Talks, Tuesday ESL Chat at Fremont Main Library, and Yoga For Body and Spirit.
CLICK HERE FOR FREMONT BRANCH FLYER
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Public Policy Update
Our Public Policy columnist discusses why school homework for AAUW adults is important.
To read this or any previous Public Policy columns, click HERE.
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Branch News
Fremont City Council Honors AAUW

The Fremont City Council honored AAUW Fremont during women’s history month with a proclamation. Receiving the award from Mayor Raj Salwan were AAUW members Lily Mei (from left), former mayor of Fremont; Jo Szeto, and Jennifer Foster.
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Seminar on Abuse Held by Fremont Branch

Women’s History Month–Judy Wolf chaired “Boxed in By Abuse,” an AAUW Fremont-sponsored panel presentation at Washington Hospital on abuse and how to escape it. Panelists were (from left) Lucy R. Rodriguez, author of the book, Rebirth of a Lotus, Escaping Domestic Violence; Nandini Ray, from Maitri; Betty Goodwin, from Washington Hospital’s emergency department; new AAUW member Chao Lee, from SAVE, and AAUW member Bridget Uzoegwu, who told her story. The link to the recording is here.
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Fremont Hosts 5th Annual Speech Trek Season!

The Speech Trek contestants–Aarav Dixit (second from left), Aishwarya Gogi, and first-place winner Shanvi Gupta–stand between AAUW members Becky Denevan, left, and Remy Parmar. Shanvi received honorable mention (fourth place) in the state competition, marking the fifth time in five years that Fremont Speech Trekkers placed in the top five.
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Bi-Branch Luncheon at Frederico’s

Judy Wolf, right, was master of ceremonies at the bi-branch luncheon held in February. Samjhana Khanal was our speaker. Here, she shows off her Nepalese wedding necklace.
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Everyone Enjoyed Annual Holiday Party

Leslie Wang (from left), Sue Wang, and Aimee Wiley put the finishing touches on appetizers for the holiday party.

Shanvi Gupta, one of AAUW Fremont’s interns, arranges some of the desserts that were brought to the potluck holiday party.

Matt Manfredi and his wife Alice, long-time AAUW member and curator of the Twig, enjoy the holiday party.
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Death by Chocolate Bingo
Our Ohlone College Scholarship fundraiser on November 1 was a Lucky Seven for many attendees who won beautiful gift baskets and delicious chocolates generously donated by our members.
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2024 General Meeting
We celebrated 25 years of Tech Trek on October 19 at our annual membership meeting. This milestone affirms our strong commitment to empowering young women to explore careers in STEM.

Judy Wolf recounts the history of Tech Trek to the Class of 2024.

Mary Lynn Pelican (from left), welcomes Beatrix Woods and her mom Katelyn, Fremont’s first Tech Trekker from the Class of 1999.
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Pros and Cons With the League of Women Voters
We co-sponsored a voter education event on October 12 with the League of Women Voters Fremont, Newark, and Union City. A panel of expert speakers presented nonpartisan and unbiased reviews of ten CA state ballot measures.
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One Book, One Community Read Launches 15th Season
Our 2024 book selection is Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead. Through the lens of this Pulitzer Prize and Women’s Prize winning novel about a young man’s struggle with opioid addiction, we partnered with Washington Hospital in Fremont on September 16 to educate the Tri-Cities about the dangers of prescription drug abuse.

Dr. Larry Nordhoff of the National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse demonstrates how to use Narcan to prevent fatal overdoses.
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FY2025 Board of Stars!
In celebration of our Four-Star Branch award and to welcome the FY2025 Board, each newly-installed officer received a gold star at the July 12 board meeting, personalized with a special acknowledgement of her contributions to AAUW.
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Fourth of July After Party at the Fremont Event Center

Experienced board members teach our high school intern about the importance of community engagement.

Kids of all ages enjoy assembling colorful pinwheels while our Community Outreach team chat with their parents about AAUW’s mission and educational programs.
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Congressman Ro Khanna Holds Virtual Town Hall
Gene Wang, Fremont Branch member and Chairman of Care Daily AI Healthcare Solutions, hosted a public policy program on June 25 for three AAUW branches – Fremont, San Jose, and Sunnyvale-Cupertino. Congressman Ro Khanna, a presidential surrogate, discussed issues important to voters for this November’s election: job creation, affordable healthcare, technological innovations, and environmental sustainability.
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FY 2025 Board of Directors Installed
Preston Metcalf, Executive Director of the Triton Museum of Art, presented “The Portrayal of Feminine Power in Art” at our annual installation held on June 15 at the Cogir of Fremont. Linda Pearson created a beautiful cake to celebrate our Four-Star Branch achievement.
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Tech Trekkers Enjoy Ice Cream Social
AAUW Fremont Tech Trek Class of 2024 bonded over ice cream and fun trivia games with prizes on June 2. Seven campers enjoyed an exciting week of STEM activities at UC Santa Cruz in July.
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2024 Ohlone Scholarships Announced
Brandon Stewart, Institutional Advancement Officer of the Ohlone Scholarship Foundation, receives a check for $7,000 for four AAUW Fremont scholarships.
On May 1, members of our Ohlone Scholarship Committee congratulated Alexis Gonsalves (center) on winning a $4,000 scholarship. Alexis will be attending San Jose State this fall.
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Cookie Distribution Team at Ohlone College
Every year, our members bake dozens of cookies with 20% cut out to highlight the wage gap between men and women for the annual Ohlone College Gender Sex Fair. This year’s was held on April 24.
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Another Successful Mother-Daughter STEM Discovery Day
More than thirty 3rd to 5th grade girls and their special guests attended our 28th annual STEM Discovery Day held on March 23 at the Cesar Chavez Middle School in Union City. Girls got a close up look at bee hives during the first workshop, Bee Habitats, as a mom and daughter team got excited about the Coding for Recycling workshop. For the complete story, click here.
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