Brains That Build, Hearts That Lead, Courage That Lasts
While the engineers worked their magic behind the scenes to bring Emerald City to life, I skipped across the road to meet the women whose courage stood at the heart of this year’s Matrix Awards – the 2025 Scholarship Recipients.
Located in a conference room at the Hilton Hotel, four makeup artists worked their magic with wands and brushes. “It is all about the unique features of each woman,” Cassandra Garcia, Global Pro Artist at Bobbi Brown, said. “The makeup is there just to support and add a dash of glamour.” Part of Bobbi Brown’s mission is to support women and girls in their education through the Pretty Powerful Fund, “it’s incredible for our artistry team to be part of this journey- helping them feel confident- as they continue to grow in their careers.” Cassandra added.
The first person I encountered was Nora Wesson, 2022 scholarship recipient, and tonight’s self-proclaimed “Stage Mom.” Armed with a clipboard and a minute-by-minute schedule, Nora keeps everything moving, when and where each of this year’s scholarship recipients should be at any given moment. “Seeing the process from the other side is wild because I feel like I’ve progressed so much, but seeing what this year’s scholarship recipients are achieving right now, still in school, I’m so intrigued and so inspired by them,” she said, remembering the night she first found herself in Oz.
As the women were getting glammed in the makeup chairs, I spoke with them about their yellow brick roads – the winding paths that led them to this moment, the challenges they had overcome, and where they wanted to go next.
Smart Moves, Bold Futures
Each of the scholarship recipients is brilliant, but the thing that stood out to me during each interview is every woman’s enormous sense of ambition. Along with perfect academic records, they also excel in sports, clubs, and volunteer work.
Ashley Craig, this year’s recipient of the Brand Marketing Scholarship funded by the Licensing International Foundation, aims to be an entertainment lawyer. She had initially wanted to pursue a career in sports media, but over time, she grew tired of writing about sports and instead found enjoyment in writing about pop culture and film. “I remember when A Wrinkle in Time came out — Ava DuVernay’s version — I was in middle school, and it inspired me to think about what goes on behind the scenes,” she said with a laugh, adding that watching movies was an essential part of her childhood.
Speaking of the people that inspire Ashley, she mentioned her mother. “She’s a hardworking woman who showed me how to keep going and work hard,” Ashley beamed.
Dorothy Kam is this year’s other winner of Licensing International Foundation’s Brand Marketing Scholarship. A Master of Science student at Columbia University, she’s also an intern at Pandora and a team member with Columbia Space Initiative in collaboration with NASA. She teaches math & science to kids in Title I public schools.
Amazed at everything Dorothy is involved in, I turned to her and asked how she had time to sleep. With a shrug, she answered, “I actually sleep quite a lot. I think it’s because I sleep; I can’t do more.”
Brittan Alexander, who received The Kaplow Scholarship, is a rising senior at NYU. She is working to define her path to an NYC marketing agency. “I’ve always loved people — getting to know them, asking questions, learning their stories,” she said. “Communications became my way to connect with the world and help tell people’s stories. Seeing so many inspirational women in one room has really lit a fire under me. It’s added even more fuel to the drive I already have to pursue a career in communications.”
Passionate about elevating Latina voices, college junior Shayla Sanchez received this year’s Esperanza Award. Finding out “was one of those moments where everything I had been doing — at school and work — suddenly felt worth it,” she gushed. After the show, she added, “One day, I hope to be one of the women being honored onstage at the Matrix Awards. So, this moment really motivates me.”
Former recipient Nora felt the same way at her first Matrix Awards. “I remember turning to a table mate and whispering, ‘I’m going to be up there one day.’” Reflecting now on how being a scholarship recipient has shaped her career, “It raised my confidence so much, especially at the very beginning. Working for a small newspaper in a hyperlocal environment, I’m often looking for a community outside of the one I report on every day, and this organization has given me that, welcomed me with open arms.”
Hearts Full of Purpose
They say it takes a village to raise a child – and just as importantly, it takes values: integrity, curiosity, and the freedom to fail. Most of the women honored this year had some of their villages alongside them to celebrate this momentous moment.
“Learning from all kinds of sources was big in our home. Exposure, conversation, and curiosity — that was our thing,” Stephanie, Ashley Craig’s mother, told me of her and her husband’s drive to provide their daughter with every opportunity to learn. “We also made it clear that it’s okay to mess up; it’s okay to fail. Use those failures to learn and grow. We were never too hard on her, but we pushed her.”
Dorothy, whose passion for communication began during a Disney internship in Hong Kong, said, “My job was to make people feel joy and create magical moments. That was so meaningful to me, and I knew I wanted to keep doing that kind of work.”
Coming from a Dominican immigrant family, Shayla told me about the pressure she received to pursue a more secure field, such as medicine. Still, she explained that an early internship experience cemented her love of communications. “There aren’t a lot of Latinas in communications or PR, but there should be. Diverse voices bring fresh perspectives — and that’s essential when you’re representing brands or companies,” she said. “If you want to connect with a broader audience authentically, you need people in the room who understand those cultures. Having someone like me on a team can be game-changing — not just for the company, but for the audience they’re trying to reach.”
Relationships are an essential part of the communications field, and Nora knows this all too well, “being able to facilitate conversations between ladies just starting in this field and titans of the industry we all admire so much has been incredibly rewarding and so indicative of what NYWICI stands for.”
Strength You Can’t See – But Feel
Having struggled with imposter syndrome, when Ashley found out she had won a scholarship, it reinforced her conviction that she was on the right path. “I’ve worked hard, and I’ve done a lot of things that allow me to be here, but still… it just means a lot,” she said. “It means my work is being acknowledged. It reminds me that I’m doing okay.”
Hypothetically speaking to the next bright-eyed student in her position, Brittan said, “I’d tell her to keep finding ways to better herself — to seek out opportunities and communities that lift her. And just as importantly, to share those opportunities with others.”
“Be authentic to yourself,” Ashley chimed in. “Even when people doubt you, fight through the adversity and keep doing what you love.”
At the end of the night, as catering staff cleared plates and guests downed the last of their espresso martinis, Nora stood at the door and, in completing her Stage Mom duties, said goodbye to the ladies. “I hope to stay in touch with this year’s group, both as a more formal mentor and as a friend who’s been where they are,” she said. Advising the 2025 cohort, she added, “As long as you know you can always ask for help when you experience a setback or a period of self-doubt, you can take a break. If you need advice, assistance, or a helping hand, NYWICI is there for you.”
Though their magic shoes may look different, every scholarship recipient can click her heels three times and find herself back at home, dazzled by a Matrix Awards adventure and the brains, heart, and courage she found within herself.
