2025 DE&I Driven Coaching Scholarship Awardees

In an effort to support our DE&I driven mission we are proud to offer 10 USAW Level 1 or 2 coaching scholarships to our PNW WSO region on an evergreen annual basis. Each year we have committed to awarding 4 female, 4 BIPoC and 2 financial hardship based coaching scholarships that are inclusive of an annual membership to USAW.

2025 proved to be an exciting year with an unprecedented number of applicants. We were thrilled to see the level of excitement and desire in our future coaches.

BIPoC Coaching Scholarship Awardees:

Yilin Diao, “As a physical therapist at the outpatient clinic, I see patients range from 9 years old to 95 years old with various abilities. Half of my caseload is consists of high school students who are active and familiar with weightlifting at baseline. I would love to broaden my horizons and knowledge about weightlifting so I can provide helpful coaching tips when incorporating Olympic lifts into my plan of care to return higher level patients to prior level of function or even provide injury prevention with proper lifting techniques. As a coach at siuslaw strength and conditioning I also work with people with all shapes and sizes and abilities. I believe weightlifting is a very inclusive sport where anybody is welcomed to be part of. Therefore I would like to enrich my coaching abilities so that I can help the beginners to make the lifts less intimidating by breaking the movements down where they can learn it better. I would love to help the intermediate athletes to become more proficient and maybe even get them ready for their first local competition.”

Shannon Speakman, “Since 2022, I have been a coach at The Recovery Gym, which is a non-profit fitness center that offers free memberships, peer mentoring, and resources for those who are either in or seeking recovery. Being involved as a member of my community is of the utmost importance to me, and such is my involvement with The Recovery Gym. I am also in my second year of a doctoral program at NUNM where I am working on becoming a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine. It has been my goal from the beginning, back when I was a patient myself seeking care at my school’s subsidized health clinic, to be a part of the movement towards empowering people to move towards better health and wellbeing. Earlier this year, I petitioned the Student Government Association (SGA) at my school to accept my proposal for an NUNM weightlifting club for the next school year (2025-2026) that would take place at The Recovery Gym, and it was accepted. I believe that bringing weightlifting to NUNM, a naturopathic medicine school that places a heavy emphasis on treating the whole person, will benefit the students as they continue their journey towards being providers.”

Jessica Gallardo Perlera, “I have been working as a CrossFit trainer for 7 years in the South Seattle neighborhood of Rainier Beach and I started focusing more on Olympic weightlifting for about 5 years. When I discovered my love for Olympic weightlifting, I couldn't help to think that I wish I would have found this sport sooner. I would love to work with the youth in my community and share my love for the sport through a weightlifting class. Also, being bilingual has allowed me to share my passion for long term health and fitness. I currently volunteer with a non-profit group to provide fitness classes for Latino women and is taught in Spanish.”

Carlos R Padilla, “I want to be able to reach people my age and help them get their strength and mobility back. I see so many who are rapidly declining in all aspects of their lives. They become isolated and dependent on a system to take care of them for everything, only to realize the system is strained and cannot give them everything or help them with everything they need. My physical independence is more important than anything else to me. Without my strength, health, mobility then i become a shut in, unable to take care of myself. I have seen to many acquaintences and friends fall victim to this life and death. If i can be a pebble in an older generations pond then I will have started something to positively affect whole families. I am 71 years old, a retired BSN RN CCRN and combat flight nurse. I am a USAF retired veteran and I am surrounded by a wide community of very young to older people my age and more. I do my best to remain physically active and in contact with community as well every day.”

Female Coaching Scholarship Awardees:

Helen McGlone, “I would love to use this scholarship to empower non-men to enter the sport of weightlifting. I want to create a space that de-centers men from a very male sport. While there are so many incredible women in the sport, I feel like young, queer women are a voice that needs to be more heard. With this scholarship, I could become an advocate for inclusivity, and making sure that this remains a safe and progressive space. As a member of a very LGBT+ gym, I know that "like attracts like", and I would like to put another young, queer, female face behind the sport of weightlifting!”

Michelle Xenakis, “By applying my skills and uplifting the community I already coach (The Recovery Gym), my goal is to instill confidence in my athletes and show them that believing in their abilities will get them farther than they realize. Being able to give back to this amazing community is the ultimate dream. As a coach it is my job to master the craft. By getting this scholarship and being able to continue work with athletes in my community it would ultimately better equipped athletes with confidence and skills at working out. “

Holly Mahoney, “The profession of occupational therapy is focused on achieving maximum quality of life across the lifespan. I love my career and I love weightlifting; getting my Level 1 USAW certificate is a way to expand access to the sport to rural areas, such as The Dalles, and feels like a way to merge the mission of my career with my passion for strength, wellness, and longevity. I plan to specifically utilize the Level 1 USAW certificate to gain the skills needed to offer weightlifting specific personal training, group classes, and specialty camps at the local functional fitness gym that I coach at. I live in a rural area where there isn't a lot of access to local experts in weightlifting so I'd like to become a local "expert" who others in the Columbia Gorge can contact for support at their local gyms, as well. “

Krystal Jean Jenkins, “My plan for growing this sport is with the youth in my community. I live in a very small city, that lies outside of some larger cities. Our community doesn’t have very many options for youth and the options for competitive sports or sports in general is limited. Having a great relationship with my son’s current coaches at “west valley weightlifting “ has also provided me with a wonderful opportunity of growth for myself. They have been more than willing to take me under their wing and help raise me up as a coach providing me many of opportunities to grow with the only exception of me showing up and putting in my own work, which has been a incredible opportunity as our family doesn’t have the extra means for me to pay them for their mentoring. I would love to pass that along also, whether it be under them in their space or in a space of my own.”

Financial Hardship Coaching Scholarship Awardees:

Michelle Klassen, “My community is in need of more female weightlifting coaches. Olympic weightlifting has become more progressive over the years but it is still a male dominated sport. As an athlete who identifies female pacific islander, representation for female BIPOC athletes is important to me. I plan to use my certification to encourage women to become more comfortable to join and train and to encourage diversity in the community. I also plan to become a certified CrossFit Kids coach to teach the youth in my community about strength and conditioning. Having a CF Kids Certification and an OLY Certification will help me reach these goals.”

Sydney Stirling, “I plan to use this scholarship to grow the sport of weightlifting by empowering females, particularly youth, through targeted outreach and hands-on coaching. My strategic plan includes community engagement and outreach. I will connect with local schools, colleges, community centers, and female sports teams to introduce weightlifting as a tool for strength, confidence, and athletic development. I plan on organizing weightlifting workshops at schools, gyms, and community centers, ensuring accessibility for beginners. Through these efforts, I will increase female participation in weightlifting, foster a strong and inclusive community, and create opportunities for young athletes to pursue the sport recreationally or competitively.”