2026 Suzanne Burger Scholarships

The Daz-E Shop is a 501(c)3 organization whose goal is to celebrate the advancement of women, educate women through scholarships, grants and loans, and motivate women to achieve their highest aspirations. 

As a business operating in Altadena, we have seen and experienced firsthand the impacts of the January ’25 Eaton Fire, and as part of our re-opening celebration we are announcing ten $1,000 scholarships to Altadena students to be announced in late April and awarded in June.

Recipients:

• MADDIE K. and her sister are both in college with a father who lost his job due to the fire and a mother who works part time as a library assistant. They were displaced from their home due to fire damage. She is a sophomore at UCSD, studying marine ecology with a minor in cinematography. Sh hopes to then pursue a master’s degree and work for a nonprofit organization or research institution dedicated to climate resilience, habitat restoration and public education.
• RUBY K. is the sister to Maddie above. She is attending the University of Oregon and was out of state when the fire hit. She detailed the psychological turmoil of not knowing the fate of her family, her cat, her home and her neighbors. She is a junior majoring Art and Technology, with a minor in Business Administration, and hopes to pursue a masters in Fashion Imaging. She wants to work within the intersection of digital aesthetic curation and visual storytelling, with the end goal of being an Art Director.
• NAOMI M. is a single mother with three children and is attending PCC in a nursing program to earn her RN. She currently works as a Certified Nursing Assistant and her eldest son, who is also in college, works part time. Their home and possessions were lost in the fire. She feels that her children are just now getting over the trauma of that event but that the experience has helped her show her children how resilient one can be in the face of adversity.
• DANITA M. is a 67-year-old woman who didn’t complete high school, and lost her employment as well as her tools and equipment in the Eaton fire, and suffered smoke damage to her home. She has decided to earn a better living by becoming a truck driver. She is currently enrolled in the El Monte Truck Driving School.
• REBEKAH M. is a student at Fuller Seminary, enrolled in a theology doctorate program. She has a mini horse therapy program in Altadena and is studying how God uses animals in human healing. She lost one of her mini horses to smoke inhalation complications. Being homeless with horses has taught her to be resilient and tenacious. She will apply what she learns at Fuller plus her education in achieving her master’s in psychology to her equine therapy program.
• REBECCA P. is a breast cancer survivor and a married mother of two attending CSUN, where she is pursuing graduate studies in communication disorders. She earned a bachelor’s degree at CSUN and has been working as a music therapist. Her career pivot and re-entry to college came at a unique time with COVID and her second pregnancy, as well as the fire, but she is on track to graduate with her master’s in one more year. Her career goal is to become a speech language pathologist, with a special interest in providing language and literacy support in the early elementary grades.
• JENNIFER Q. works part time as a retail sales associate and is attending PCC, taking classes in Social and Behavioral Studies, and Sociology. She also loves music which has seen her through hardships, and plays in two bands. She wants to work for a non-profit that helps women, with particular interest in incarcerated women, or the field of women’s health and education. She intends to transfer to Cal State after completing her work at PCC and then hopes to work for A New Way of Life which provides housing and reunification services for previously incarcerated women.
• ALINA R. is an artist from a family of four whose home burned in the fire. She is attending The New School for artists in NYC where she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in illustration and a minor in psychology, and is considering pursuing a master’s to become an art therapist or art teacher. She felt it was especially hard to return to school after the winter break, knowing that her family was just beginning to deal with the aftermath of their loss, but she also felt incredibly grateful for how their friends and community showed up for them.
• CLAIRE S. works as a behavioral technician with a harm-reduction organization serving people living with or at risk for AIDS and is attending Oregon Health & Science University School with financial help from her parents. Having lost their home in the fire, the financial strain is making it difficult for her parents to continue their help as she applies to medical school. Her desire to become a physician was ignited upon seeing a family travel hours for their infant daughter’s complex craniofacial care when the physician’s role went beyond surgery to advocating for housing, food and follow-up support so the family could thrive.
• EMMA T. is a full-time student attending Cal Poly SLO where she is taking pre-veterinary coursework. Her family has three children in college,including her twin brother. When the fire drew near, just a few weeks before her 18 th birthday, she evacuated with her seven chickens in a dog carrier and her bearded dragon in a cardboard box. Her family’s home was lost inthe fire, and she had to rehome the chickens that she’d raised from day-old chicks. She volunteers at the SLO Humane Society and is a dog play yard supervisor for the Son Care Foundation. After she graduates from Cal Poly, she intends to pursue a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine.

Have a question or want to get in touch? Please call the shop at 626-794-6244.