Five women were directly or indirectly responsible for over $1 million in 20 Rotary projects. One of the women, Sara Beck, worked with NASA and co-founded an engineering nonprofit. She brought the first grant project of $36,200 for water in San Salvador to Bill Davis. Other projects included ambassadorial scholarships, global grants for water access, sanitation, health clinics, and education across multiple countries. In total, the projects involved 21 clubs and 17 districts from 8 countries and amounted to over $1 million.

1. Global Grant Projects
Bill Davis
5 women produce over $1 million in projects

2. ThesewomenhavebeendirectlyorindirectlyresponsiblefortwentyRotaryprojects
worthover$1,000,000
Water Summit, Houston
Sara Beck - NASA
Ambassadorial Scholarship
Isis Mejias to Brazil
Nicole Heydari
Kabul Afghanistan
Ali Mondragon
Clinical Consultant
Anja Nikolova
Global Scholar Macedonia to Yale

3. Dr. Sara Beck – worked for NASA programming the
robotic arms on the space shuttles and space station and
was the co-founder of the Central Houston Chapter of
Engineers Without Borders (EWB-USA). Aerospace
engineering degree, University of Colorado, Master’s
Georgia Tech and most recently a PhD from Colorado.
She is currently conducting water reuse research at the
Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok on a Fulbright
Fellowship. As a volunteer with EWB Sara brought the
first Grant project to Bill Davis, a water project in San
Salvador that Humble Rotary Club headed up. This
relationship with Sara ultimately played a role in the
development of over $1 million in projects that
ultimately happened.
Sara was one of 6,000 applicants in the last round of
astronaut applications and made it to the final 160.
NASA has announced a new call for astronauts and Sara
has reapplied and is one of 18,300 applicants for 8-16
astronaut positions.
.

4. Dr. Isis Mejias Carpio –She has a Chemical
Engineering Degree from University of
Houston and joint PhD from Universities of
Sao Paulo and Houston. She is currently
working with Jacobs Engineering in Houston.
Dr. Mejias, a Rotary Global Scholar to Brazil
sponsored by the Humble Rotary Club was
invited by Rotary to lead a team of six to
Uganda to identify a large water project. Isis
was recently one of two panelists on a Rotary
Webinar talking about her experiences as a
scholar in Sao Paulo and developing Global
Grants in Brazil, Kenya and Uganda and on
her trips to Uganda to help prepare a
$300,000 water, sanitation and health Global
Grant for that country. She has spoken at
District Conferences of D 5630 in Calgary as
well as that of D 5890 in Houston.

5. Nicole Heydari – Came to Rotary Club of
Humble for assistance in funding a course of
study at the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna,
the world’s oldest school offering a Master’s
Degree in International Studies. She has an
undergrad degree in International
Politics from Georgetown University – and is
currently with the Department of Commerce
in Washington with assignment trips to
Afghanistan, Istanbul and India. She recently
passed her physical exam with the FBI and
is awaiting security clearance to join the FBI.

6. Ali Mondragon -. BSc in Nursing from Oregon
Health and Science University and a Master’s in
International Management from Portland State
University - currently working as a Clinical
Consultant for Philips HealthCare in the San
Francisco Bay Area.

7. Anja Nikolova – has a BSc (Hons) in
Biological Sciences, from the University of
Pavia, Italy (cum laude). She is currently
studying on scholarships from Rotary and
Yale towards a Master’s Degree of
Environmental Management at the Yale
University School of Forestry and
Environmental Studies. Anja was selected as
a member of the delegation of her
homeland, the Republic of Macedonia, to
the 2015 United Nations Climate Change
Conference in Paris, France (November 30-
Dec 11, 2015). The Rotary Club of New
Haven, Connecticut (D7980) is privileged to
be her host club, and District
5890 sponsored her candidacy for a Global
Grant Scholarship and provided the District
funds necessary for the TRF match.

8. SaraBeck- NASA
Watersummit – Houston

9. MatchingGrant– Water
SanSalvador - $36,200

10. Matching grant -Uganda
water- $16,000

11. Matching grant
water -Bolivia
$26,000

12. AmbassadorialScholarship
BrianDavis, Nepal - $30,000

14. BrianDavisOrphanageProject
Kathmandu,Nepal - $10,000

15. AmbassadorialScholarship
Isis MejiasCarpio, Brazil - $30,000

16. GlobalGrant– Water
KenyanHospital - $61,000

17. GlobalGrant– Mammography Unit
SãoPaulo, Brazil - $68,000

18. ProjectIdentification-
Isis to UgandawithWASRAG

19. GlobalGrantPPP – Water, sanitation,and
educationinUganda - $301,000

20. 21 Clubsand17 Rotary Districtsfrom 8countries
contributedto thisproject

21. GlobalGrantScholarship
SeanSmith,Chile - $30,000

22. Global Grant Peru - $35,000

23. NicoleHeydari – KABULAFGHANISTAN

24. DistrictGrant – Master’sDegreefrom
DiplomaticAcademy,Austria- $10,000

25. ClothingforChildreninWomen’sPrison–
Kabul,Afghanistan - $500

26. DistrictGrant,9 RotaryClubs– Improving
conditionsfor Kabulstudents- $11,000

27. WinterclothingforChildreninKabul - $400

28. Ali Mondragon

29. VTTUganda,UgandaHeartInstitute–sending
doctorsandnursestoTexasChildrenHospital-
$30,000
Dr. Denton Cooley - first
implantation of a total artificial
heart

30. GlobalGrant– HIV/AIDS
Botswana- $108,000

31. Anja Nikolova
Global Scholarships – Macedonia to Yale - $60,000
Masters in Environment Management at Yale
Rotary Day at the
United Nations

32. Global Grant – Ghana - $147,000

33. GRAND TOTAL $1,009,000
Matching grant – water – San Salvador - $36,000
Matching grant – water – Bolivia - $26,000
Ambassadorial Scholarship - Brian Davis to
Nepal- $30,000
Matching Grant – water – Uganda - $16,000
Matching grant – Orphanage, Kathmandu, Nepal –
$10,000
Global Grant – Kenya water for hospital - $61,000
District Grant - Master’s Degree Diplomatic Academy
Vienna Austria
-$10,000
Clothing for children in women’s prison in Kabul - $400
District Grant - 9 Rotary Clubs -improving
study conditions in Middle School in Kabul –$11,000
Ambassadorial Scholarship to Brazil - $30,000
Global Grant- Mammography machine for
hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil - $68,000
Isis to Uganda by TRF
Global grant PPP- water, sanitation and
education – Uganda -$301,000
Sean Smith – Global Scholarship to Chile
- $30,000
Global Grant –Water Peru - $35,000
VTT Uganda – Uganda Heart institute to Texas Children’s
Hospital -$30,000
GG HIV/AIDS Botswana -$108,000
Global Scholarship Macedonia to Yale -$60,000
Ghana Project -$147,000
Summary