The annual San Mateo County Women’s Hall of Fame, established in 1984, is an important and lasting way to recognize the incredible work of women of all ages and walks of life in our community. Every two years a new slate of *women, including outstanding high school students, join the ranks of some of San Mateo County’s greatest contributors, an honor roll that today reaches 278 individuals.
33rd Annual San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame Inductees Announced
Check out the official press release here!
We are excited to announce the Honorees for the 2020 Women's Hall of Fame!
Dr. Belinda Hernandez Arriaga is an Assistant Professor at the University of San Francisco and she is Founder/Chief Executive Director of Ayudando Latinos A Soñar (ALAS www.alashmb.org), a Latino cultural arts, education, mental health and social justice program dedicated to working with rural youth and families living on coastside. Dr. Hernandez Arriaga is a graduate from USF with a doctorate in education and a masters in social work. Belinda has done extensive work with farmworker families and their children, her mental health practice is focused on immigration trauma, u-visas, asylum and her current research is focused on understanding the emotional, psychological and traumatic experiences that impact undocumented and mixed status Latino youth. A significant part of her work is dedicated to the cultural arts as part of cultural connections for healing. Belinda is committed to social justice advocacy, equity and human rights. She and her husband have three young daughters and live in Half Moon Bay.
Judge Beth Labson Freeman is a Judge on the Federal Court in the Northern District of California, appointed by President Obama in 2014. Judge Freeman sits in the San Jose Division, hearing a broad array of cases including antitrust, civil rights, consumer class actions, commercial litigation and technology cases including patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret cases. She serves on the Northern District’s patent local rules and jury instruction committees. Judge Freeman previously was a Superior Court Judge in San Mateo County, California from 2001 to 2014. Judge Freeman served as Presiding Judge and Assistant Presiding Judge of the San Mateo Court.
Prior to her appointment to the bench in 2001, Judge Freeman was deputy county counsel in San Mateo County, and an associate attorney at Lasky, Haas and Cohler in San Francisco and Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver and Jacobson in Washington, D.C. Judge Freeman is a graduate of the Harvard Law School and University of California, Berkeley.
Celine (Huijia) Wen, a current Junior at Aragon High School, immigrated from China in 2016 and lives in San Mateo. In 2017 she founded Women of the World Club in her school because of her interest and passion to help women, especially homeless women in the Bay Area. The club collects donations through bake sales, farmer’s markets, and collaborations with organizations like Happy Period and Saint Bartholomew’s Church. Funds collected during every three-month period are used to purchase hygiene products for homeless women. Outside of school, Celine volunteers at Friends of Children with Special Needs (FCSN) and teaches autistic children arts and crafts every other week for three years and was awarded Best Volunteer of the Year in 2018. Celine is also a varsity tennis and badminton player at Aragon. While working hard in school, she continuously encourages herself to give back to society and help the underprivileged.
Sarah Pistorino joined the San Mateo County Youth Commission in 2016 as a freshman at Sacred Heart Preparatory High School and currently serves as Chair. She is a founding member of the SafeSpace Youth Advisory Board, an organization that provides resources to youth around mental health, referral to services, on-site counseling and communities where youth can connect and share their stories. With her work on the Youth Commission she has shown leadership with her fellow commission members and has worked closely with Supervisor Carole Groom on projects such as the development of the County’s Social Host Ordinance and cannabis health education campaign, Decoded. Sarah lives in Menlo Park and is looking forward to continuing her development in higher education this coming fall.
** “Women / Girls” refers to gender expansive adults & youth (cis, trans, non-binary, gender non-conforming, and gender queer).
Women's Hall of Fame & Young Woman of Excellence Celebration!
Save the Date: May 10, 2022
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