Schiff Honors Women of the Year from 28th Congressional District

On Sunday, Rep. Adam Schiff honored inspiring women from communities in California’s 28th Congressional District.

“Every year, we honor women across the 28th Congressional District who make a positive impact on the lives of their neighbors and improve and enrich our community,” said Rep. Schiff. “Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed the unimaginable burden shouldered by women as essential and frontline workers, health care personnel, caregivers, scientists and teachers. I am proud to recognize these heroic individuals and their contributions, sacrifices, and selfless service as recipients of the 2021 Women of the Year award.”

At a luncheon Sunday in La Cañada Flintridge, Rep. Schiff celebrated with the 2021 honorees, as well as 2020 honorees whose celebration last year was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. CV Weekly reporter Mary O’Keefe was among the 2020 honorees.

“The 2020 Women of the Year honorees are also remarkable women who have all worked tirelessly for the common good, and to make our District a better place. They are pillars of our communities, and I thank them for their invaluable service,” added Rep. Schiff.

Among the 2021 honorees was MiMi Aung of La Cañada Flintridge, who received a Special Districtwide Recognition.

Aung received the Special Districtwide Recognition for her trailblazing work on the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. Aung moved to Southern California in 1990 and began working at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). She began her career by working on mathematical algorithms for deep space communication with spacecraft hundreds of millions of miles away from Earth and, during her 30-year career at JPL, was selected for various positions with increasing degrees of responsibility specifically in Deep Space Network projects, organizational line management, technology development, and space flight projects. With Aung as the project manager, worldwide history was made on April 19, 2021, when the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter took its first flight and was the first powered, controlled flight in the planet Mars’ atmosphere, and the first such flight anywhere outside of Earth.

From Burbank, Nareh Manooki was recognized. Manooki joined Glendale Community College in 2018 as an instructor of engineering. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, she wanted to help frontline workers and, while researching online, she came across articles about 3D printing personal protective equipment (PPE). Manooki was printing with 3D printers in her home and reached out to colleagues and students for help; together as a team, they donated over two thousand face shields and ear tension straps to the community. In 2020, the Glendale College Foundation approved her proposed program to advise and mentor students on how to learn to operate 3D printers and improve existing PPE designs. Manooki’s students created their own prototypes while gaining hands-on engineering technology skills.

Rebecca Berberian of Glendale was recognized for her work at Adventist Health White Memorial for more than three decades. She presently serves as the hospital’s director of the Risk Management and Infection Prevention departments. Her passion for her job became even more evident during the coronavirus pandemic. Specifically during the surge periods, she worked long hours supporting the hospital’s efforts in responding to the pandemic, including taking part in strategic decision-making about converting hospital units to accommodate high hospitalization rates, contact tracing infections among staff, and securing personal protective equipment. She has also volunteered at the hospital’s vaccination clinics.

Dr. Wint Hun from La Cañada Flintridge, board-certified in Infectious Disease and Internal Medicine, was also recognized. She treats patients in her office and at Adventist Health Glendale, USC Verdugo Hills Hospital and Methodist Hospital in Arcadia. When coronavirus became a worldwide pandemic, she applied her expertise to the USC Verdugo Hills Hospital’s team giving them courage to battle the healthcare crisis. She was also an indispensable resource to the Infection Prevention team, as it developed rapid isolation and testing protocols to keep patients and staff safe.

Susan Sung Hee Lee from La Crescenta was honored. She is a registered nurse at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital in the Intensive Care Unit, where she has been a relief charge nurse for nearly 11 years. During the pandemic, she worked at least one overtime shift every week and would stay past her 12-hour shifts when there was a shortage of nurses. She also used her sewing machine to sew her own scrub caps and provided scrub caps to each of her colleagues, as well as putting her years of haircutting experience from her mission trips to use by giving haircuts to her colleagues when the hair salons and barber shops were closed.

Pattee Colvin of Sunland is the founder of Making It Happen, a food and clothing pantry in Sunland whose mission is to help those in need. Colvin was honored because, when the coronavirus pandemic began, there was an increase in demand for food and meals, and the Making It Happen Saturday food pantry attendance grew from about 60 individuals and their families to almost 200 individuals and their families. At the height of the pandemic, the Sunday Hot Meal program increased from 75 people to 200 people. Stepping up to the challenge, the organization began offering a weekday lunch program, which included meal deliveries and, in response to COVID-19 safety protocols, changed the manner in which they serve the needy from a walk-through pantry and seated dinners to a drive-through and delivery.