The Norene Oppriecht American Association of University Women (AAUW) Scholarship

With the AAUW Scholarship bearing her name, Norene would be honored and awed that her years of service to education stand for recognizing and rewarding outstanding non-traditional women students. Following the deaths of her parents, Norene was reared by her Aunt Della, a pioneer woman who had no formal education, but who encouraged and supported Norene to go to college. Graduated from UWL, La Crosse, Norene began her career teaching ninth grade English in Edgerton, Wisconsin; she earned her master’s degree in counseling from Winona State University while teaching in Holmen, Wisconsin, served as student counselor at Cotter High School, and ultimately was director of counseling at the College of St. Teresa in Winona. After St. Teresa closed its campus, Norene was the academic and crisis counselor at Western Wisconsin Technical College in La Crosse until her retirement in 2000.

During her professional career, Norene served as assistant principal, athletic director, initiated a college freshman orientation class, presented student and staff development workshops on the Meyers-Briggs Type indicator at St. Teresa and Bogota, Colombia, served on a North Central Evaluation team, and supervised graduate counseling interns.

While living in rural Fountain City, Wisconsin, Norene spent time with her three children, hiking, boating and camping, hunting morels, cutting wood, gardening, canning, picking berries, and watching rainbows. She and her husband, Rodney, loved golf, ballroom dancing, bridge, canoeing the Mississippi, traveling the U.S., Europe and Colombia, and, especially entertaining friends.

Norene was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer in 2006 and agreed to be the subject of a nine episode newspaper account of her journey with Winona Hospice until her death, a courageous and selfless act. She said, “I’ll do it if it can be my last teachable moment.” The following is a quote from one of Norene’s writings: “Going off to college and living away from home and my small community helped define my identity. No longer did I see myself as the ‘poor orphan waif.’ I was thrust into a new world of literature, theatre, interesting, intelligent friends, three hours away from home…. And an education that prepared me for life.”

AAUW Empowers Women. Founded in 1881, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) is the oldest and largest national organization promoting the advancement of women and girls. This dynamic organization is designed to encourage and support educational opportunities for women and girls. For more than 130 years, we have worked together as a national grassroots organization to improve the lives of millions of women and their families. In principle and practice, AAUW values and seeks a diverse membership.

Mission: Advancing equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research.
Value Promise: By joining AAUW, we belong to a community that breaks through education economic barriers so that all women have a fair chance.

Scholarship contacts are AAUW of Minnesota and Robin DeVinney.