Community Education
Her turn: Meet the 2026 Minerva Scholars
After 32 years running her business, Tanya Bleil-Johnson of Gig Harbor closed the doors to her dance school in 2024. The pandemic took a toll on the business.
But as one chapter ended, another was about to begin. Thanks to a Minerva Scholarship, a midlife career pivot was just a sidestep away. Bleil-Johnson plans to study special education.
Bleil-Johnson was one of nine Gig Harbor-area women awarded college scholarships at the annual Minerva Scholarship reception on July 25. The scholarship is open to women who live or work within Peninsula School District boundaries and whose education has been interrupted for at least one year.
The 2026 Minerva Scholars include, from left, Ruby Monroe, Tanya Bliel Johns, Lauren Henricksen, Megan Schowalter, Amy Davis and Merriah Walsh. Melanie Ellis, Payton Porter and Heidi Smee were unable to attend the ceremony. Photo by Julie Warrick Ammann
“Who would have guessed in 1991 that more than 230 women would have received scholarships totaling nearly $700,000?” Minerva Scholarship President Julie Offner said. That total includes $40,000 awarded in 2026-27.
“Without the American Association of University Women (AAUW), there would be no Minerva,” Offner added.
Humble beginnings
The scholarship fund was the brainchild of three Gig Harbor women: Col. Sybil Mercer, Col. Florence Casey and Ruth Taylor, all members of AAUW.
When Mercer, an Army nurse and hospital administrator, inherited $5,000 from an uncle, she asked Casey and Taylor to match her donation. Mercer believed the master’s degree she had earned had opened doors throughout her career. With matching funds from the local AAUW branch, the Minerva endowment launched in the early 1990s with $30,000.
At Saturday’s ceremony, retired U.S. Navy Capt. and Minerva Scholarship chair Mary Kolar greeted each recipient with a handshake and certificate. Kolar earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing and master’s degrees in national security and strategic studies and adult education.
Kolar said she was deeply moved by what the recipients overcame to continue their educations. There were scholarship recipients, she said, “whose stories I will never forget.”
Each woman shared a common goal: Creating greater opportunities through education.
Megan Schowalter receives Minerva Scholarship certificate from Scholarship Chair Mary Kolar. She also shared that she was accepted in to the Austin Film Festival. A filmmaker, Schowalter is earning her Masters of Fine Art. Photo by Julie Warrick Ammann
Inspiring stories
Merriah Walsh learned about the Minerva Scholarship from a flyer posted in an office. At 33, the single mother of a young son had been accepted into a graduate program, but even with scholarships she still faced the cost of books and fees.
Walsh is pursuing a three-year master’s degree in divinity with a social justice emphasis to strengthen her work advocating for survivors of domestic violence. A survivor herself, she founded the Seen Summit conference and hosts the podcast of the same name.
“Domestic violence is a monster, and its biggest weapon is its invisibility,” Walsh said. “Any way to talk about it is helping to disarm it.”
Her graduate studies, she said, will give her “a better methodology and deeper understanding of how to affect change, specifically within church systems, so they are better able to support people walking through domestic violence.”
The most important way to support someone experiencing domestic violence, Walsh said, isn’t what you say. “The most important thing is how you are listening and responding.”
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, an average of 24 people every minute experience rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States.
Merriah Walsh receives Minerva Scholarship certificate from Scholarship Chair Mary Kolar. Photo by Julie Warrick Ammann
Among the audience of supporters. including Minerva alumnae and current and former board members, were all of Bleil-Johnson’s children.
As her family watched, Bleil-Johnson fought back tears. After years spent helping others pursue their dreams, it was finally her turn. Education would be the pathway to her next chapter.
Minerva Scholars
Ruby Monroe, pursuing a bachelors degree in theater
Tanya Bliel-Johnson, pursuing a bachelors degree in teaching special education
Lauren Henricksen, pursuing a bachelors degree in biology
Megan Schowalter, pursuing a masters degree in fine art
Amy Davis, pursuing associates in arts degree in radiologic science
Merriah Walsh, pursuing a masters degree in divinity
Melanie Ellis, pursuing a masters degree in teaching
Payton Porter, pursuing a bachelors degree in organizational leadership
Heidi Smee, pursuing a masters degree in teaching
Click here for additional information about the Minerva Scholarship Fund. The Minerva Scholarship Fund, affiliated with the Greater Gig Harbor Foundation, is a tax-exempt nonprofit.
Domestic Violence Resources
Crystal Judson Family Justice Center
https://www.familyjusticecenter.us/
Helpline: 253-798-4166
Toll Free: 800-764-2420
TDD: 253-798-4620
Address: 718 Court E, Tacoma, WA 98402