Returning to School Leads Mother to New Career, Scholastic Honors

Heidi Helfrich, a welfare recipient and mother of two small children, took a courageous step six years ago. She decided go back to school at West Los Angeles College in Culver City.

Helfrich said she registered for courses to raise her self-confidence and build a better life.

“Many people think that welfare mothers are satisfied with their lot in life,” said the 37-year-old single parent. “The fact is that many of us are trying to better our situation.”

During the first few semesters, Helfrich worked hard to finish the general education requirements but was unsure what major to pursue. But when a career counselor asked her what she wanted to do if she could do anything she wanted, she found her calling--working on airplanes.

“I like to work with tools,” Helfrich recalled, “and I also love airplanes. . . . I thought, ‘Why not put them together?’ ”

Helfrich said that she had had an interest in aviation ever since she worked for the chief of aviation maintenance at an Air Force base in Northern California.

With the encouragement of the counselor, she entered the college’s aviation maintenance technician program last year. Helfrich is one of only three women enrolled in the major. Next fall, she will complete the program. After that she must pass a mandatory exam that is administered by the Federal Aviation Administration to become a certified mechanic.

“I really got excited about airplanes,” she said. “There is nothing more on this side of heaven that excites me.”

Thus far, Helfrich has enjoyed academic success in the classroom. She made the dean’s list the first semester of the aviation program and was awarded two scholarships totaling $1,300 last summer.

Eloise Helwig has been appointed executive vice president and director of the nonprofit Los Angeles Orthopaedic Foundation.

Helwig, who has more than 25 years of experience in nonprofit development, will oversee numerous fund-raising and volunteer programs, manage staff, and direct the organization’s marketing and public relations programs.

She is a resident of West Los Angeles.

The French Foundation for Alzheimer’s Research has elected two new members to its board of directors.

New members are John Dorgan Jr., a retired executive vice president of finance for Occidental Petroleum Corp., and Marvin Lewis, a partner with the Beverly Hills law firm Ervin, Cohen & Jessup.

As members of the board, they will help advise the foundation on its growth and development.

The UCLA Alumni Assn. has presented Ralph J. Bunche Scholarships to several Westside residents who are attending UCLA this fall.

Scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 were awarded to students with a Scholastic Aptitude Test score of 1,100 or higher and a minimum grade point average of 3.85.

Scholarships were given to Los Angeles residents Malinda Lindquist, Keisha Chin, Rafael Mazas and Maricruz Prado.

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