Three Coquitlam women are among the contenders in YWCA Metro Vancouver's nominees for its 32nd annual Women of Distinction Awards.
The Technology, Science and Research category will feature Alma Barranco-Mendoza, chief information officer at the Canadian Space Society and co-founder of Infogenetica Natural Products.
The Woman of Distinction category will feature Selin Jessa, an immunology and geography student at McGill University, along with Zoya Jiwa, founder of Simply You and a student at SFU.
"I'm honoured to be a nominee for the Young Woman of Distinction Award. It's a recognition as much for the many, many people who have supported me in Coquitlam as it is for me," Jessa said in an email to The Tri-City News. "I'm also thrilled that some of the issues and projects I care a lot about are gaining attention in the process."
The YWCA has paid tribute to more than 290 award recipients and 1,690 nominees since 1984. Award recipients will be announced on May 26 during a dinner at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
The individual nominees are eligible for the Connecting the Community Award. The nominees will select a YWCA program in which they are interested in and use social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook to promote votes from April 22 until May 15. The public can cast votes and the winner will receive the Connecting the Community Award. Scotiabank will donate $10,000 to the YWCA program.
YWCA Metro Vancouver is a registered charity that provides services for women and their families. From early learning, care, housing, health and fitness, employment services and leadership.
Tickets for the event can be purchased on the website ywcavan.org/distinction.
