2022 Scholarship Winners
Kandice Rayna Jones
Rayna Jones, a 27 year old mother with the desire to pursue Lactation Education. Rayna’s mission in life is to inspire others through her vulnerability, allowing them to see her humanity. For the last 6 years of her life Rayna has had the pleasure of working in social services as a community advocate for families. Rayna has facilitated workshops, preventive education, and support groups for families in her community. During the last year she became a Neighborhood Navigator whose mission was to support and engage Black families in the community. Rayna has endured a lot in her 27 years of life, but even from a young age has been resilient with all that she does. This helped her to provide services for the families she worked with. She has been that mother who’s postpartum depression went unnoticed. She has also been in meetings where she pushed the limits by speaking up for her community when something just seemed unfair. Rayna realized she could help reduce health disparities and share her love for the community via Breastfeeding, a topic she felt connected to. With her award Rayna will take a Lactation Education Course to help her work towards her goal. Rayna plans to provide group and private Lactation Education and support to the community to help reduce stigma around breastfeeding in the Black Community, and empower and encourage mothers to utilize their natural resources. She shared how Blessed she felt to receive this scholarship.
Talia Bikul
My name is Talia Bikul and I am a mother of four in Sacramento, Ca. I am a birth doula currently enrolled in Unitek College Sacramento Campus’ Vocational Nursing Program and expect to graduate in March of 2023. I am concurrently enrolled in lactation specific education courses with Lactation Education Resources. Following my completion of both programs I am looking forward to finishing my hands-on lactation consultant experience to sit for the IBCLC exam. I will also be continuing my nursing journey to achieve my Bachelors in Registered Nursing with Nightingale College starting August of 2023. As a mother of four, I had a different breastfeeding journey with each of my children. I wish to help other breastfeeding/chest feeding parents in their journey with their children, so they do not struggle like I did. I believe that we, as professionals, can do so much more in the areas of prenatal lactation education, as well as education and support when a baby arrives... knowledge is power! As a survivor of domestic violence with four children, I fully understand how important a well- knit support system is when raising your family. I would be honored to be part of any family’s support network in feeding and nourishing their baby. It really does take a village. I am honored that the SBC has recognized my passion for maternal-infant health, and I look forward to helping the diverse communities of the Sacramento area with their breastfeeding/chest feeding journeys.
