Five women recognized as ‘Women of Distinction’ by Soroptimist of Downey
From left: Rachel Montero, Bianca Farina, Petra Castillo, Catherine Page and Lillian Simonian. (Photo courtesy Dorothy Pemberton)
DOWNEY – Soroptimist International of Downey honored five local women last week with its Women of Distinction awards, recognizing their outstanding contributions to the Downey community.
The honorees included Petra Castillo, Bianca Farina, Rachel Montero, Catherine Page and Lillian Simonian. Each was recognized during the March 20 dinner hosted by The Arc.
Below are brief biographies of the honorees as they appeared in the event program.
Petra Castillo is a native of Los Angeles and married her soul mate, Gerardo, over 50 years ago. She is a proud mother of two daughters and six beautiful grandchildren.
Her government career began in 1974 with the Treasury Department, Internal Revenue Service as a retirement/benefits counselor. Later, she transferred to the Department of Defense, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers where she was a management analyst, and management services specialist.
Living in a Spanish-speaking community, she would help her parents’ neighbors translate and fill out IRS forms and immigration citizenship information. Those neighbors would recommend her to others so she decided to start her own business. In 1993, she started Petra Business Service, a family-run business, providing notary public services and document transactions. She helped start-ups get their business permits and report income taxes.
In addition to work and business, she also volunteered on the executive board of the Hispanic Women’s Council. This was a women run, non-profit organization for mentoring women and girls. She led the youth program called YES (Youth for Education and Success) with mentorship for girls in the 90s.
In 2012, Petra retired from the Corps of Engineers and joined Soroptimist International of Downey. This outstanding organization encourages women and girls to follow their dreams. She would have loved a mentorship organization like this when she was growing up. This is why Petra has been a part of the Soroptimist and has enjoyed serving as treasurer and currently VP of Membership. Because of this organization, she has made many like-minded friends who also enjoy giving and supporting the community we live in. Each year she helps participate at Havana Night, Casino Night, and the Halloween Festival.
Now that she is retired, she is spending more time at home and traveling. Petra and a few neighbors started a neighborhood watch group, keeping an eye out for each other’s homes. As the group’s captain, she organizes meetings and invites public speakers to bring community awareness.
Three of her grandchildren are cadets in the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol and decided to become a Senior Member and join the Los Angeles Cadet Squadron 138. This is a civilian, volunteer program for kids ages 12 to 18 interested in aviation and serving their community. Cadets learn leadership skills, character development, teambuilding, problem-solving, and flying airplanes. Through this program, her grandkids have had free flying lessons and the opportunity to staff at an Encampment Activity in Misawa, Japan. The programs cover core values: integrity first, service before self, volunteerism and excellence in all they do is something she believes we should all strive to do in our daily lives. Petra believes this is such a great program, she signed up as a Senior Member to assist the squadron with administration duties, planning/scheduling programs, contacting speakers, scheduling activities, and promoting membership.
Whether she is traveling with her family or sitting on the couch with her husband, Petra enjoys crocheting in her spare time. She donates her crocheted infant/children beanies to hospitals and her church. She believes, “Give, and it will be given to you.” Helping others and giving of ourselves will help better our lives and the lives of those around us.
Bianca Farina is a passionate educator and advocate for students, teachers, staff and parents. With 15 years of teaching experience in the Downey Unified School District – spending 13 years at Warren High School and now serving at Columbus High School – she has embraced multiple leadership roles. She serves as an ASB advisor, TTL teacher, ILT and School Culture member, WASC coordinator, and Case Manager. In addition, she mentors aspiring educators through the Cerritos College Teacher Track program and teaches in LACOE’s beginning teacher program.
Committed to fostering a sense of belonging, Bianca is known for creating a classroom environment that feels like family. She played a key role in implementing social-emotional learning initiatives and developed a mini wellness center in her classroom to support student well-being. Her work extends beyond her classroom, as she empowers educators through presentations like WASCING with Purpose and We Can Do Hard Things Together, helping schools prepare for WASC visits and cultivate a stronger school culture.
Bianca was featured in The Downey Patriot as "..Warren High School's very own Freedom Writer'." She desperately wanted to make a connection with each and every one of her students and to make an impact on their lives. She shows “Freedom Writers" at the beginning of every year, and tries to make sure that her students know that she believes in them and they have a safe place to express themselves.
Beyond education, Bianca is the founder of Wine Not Wednesday, a monthly gathering designed as a safe and empowering space for women to connect, share experiences, and uplift one another —all while crafting and enjoying a home-cooked meal she prepares. She is also a proud mother of four and has been married to her high school sweetheart for 15 years. With a deep commitment to both her personal and professional life, Bianca continues to inspire and uplift those around her.
Rachel Montero is the office manager at the Downey Unified School District’s TLC Family Resource Center where she serves as the first point of contact for families experiencing hardships. When families visit TLC, Rachel assesses their immediate needs and provides them with resources, support and comfort. Rachel also assists in managing the execution of the annual TLC 5K fundraiser which contributes to the center’s ability to provide necessary services.
Before her career with DUSD, Rachel spent 22 years in the private sector working as a buyer in the fashion industry where she gained in valuable professional skills. In addition to her professional career, Rachel actively volunteered at her children's small private school where she was the president of the Ways and Means Committee that was responsible for producing various annual fundraisers. These fundraisers allowed the school to make critical purchases, fund programs, and provide scholarships to students and families in need of financial assistance.
This experience ignited her passion for community service in our local schools. When it came time for a career change, Rachel decided she wanted to pursue positions that supported the needs of students and schools. In 2016, she joined the team at TLC and loves contributing to the center's overall mission of supporting DUSD families so students can be their best.
Rachel has deep connections to Downey as an alumna of St. Pius X High School. In addition, Rachel and her husband, Jimmy, raised their two children in Downey, where they have lived for 32 years.
As an active member of her community, Catherine Page has worked with many young people to develop life skills through organizations including Girl Scouts, Downey PTA, her church, the Downey Rose Float Association, Special Olympics and the Assistance League. She is a Certified Special Olympic Coach for multiple sports, Unified Sports and Young Athletes. She actively works with Special Olympic Athletes in Downey from ages of 2 years old to 50+ years old. Catherine is an active member of the Assistance League of Downey where she currently is a co-coordinator for the Assisteens.
After completing her master's degree and post-graduate studies at USC, she taught at CSU Long Beach, CSU Dominguez Hills, and University of Phoenix as a clinical teaching assistant. She is now retired from the position of Dean of Health Science and Nursing, and Professor, Gerontology Content expert at Rio Hondo College. She is also retired from PIH Health Downey after 35 years as the Clinical Nurse Specialist in Adult Medical-Surgical Nursing and Wound Ostomy Continence Nursing. She has contributed to several nursing texts and contributed to the cycling book "The No-Drop Zone". Catherine recently launched her artist business, Page of Dots, selling her hand-painted dot mandalas.
Catherine has been happily married for thirty-seven years to Greg, is mother to Ashley and Michelle, and "grandmother" to O'Malley, a very large and loving tabby.
Lillian Simonian is a wife and mother to 4 children. She has a Master's in Public Administration and a Bachelors in Nutritional Science. Lillian is a local business owner of restaurants in the city of Downey.
She is a Dietetic Advisor for the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, Food Services Unit. She has worked for the LASD for the past 17 years. She is a member of the American Dietetic Association (ADA); California State Dietetic Association and various ADA Practice Groups. Prior to Los Angeles County, she was the Dietitian and Educator 1 for Harbor UCLA LA Biomedical Research Institute, Women Infant Children Program.
In her spare time, she volunteers as a Girl Scout Troop Leader for Downey Troop #01173. The reason that she is a Girl Scout leader, aside from sharing many experiences alongside her daughters, is because of positive effect on the lives of young women. Working with the Girl Scouts on their Gold Award brings her great joy. Girl leaders teach life skills like manners, integrity, and perseverance to help develop girls into strong, mature individuals and future leaders.
Lillian is currently involved with the Kolar Family Downey YMCA. She is currently sitting in the social committee. She is also involved with the National Charity League, a national non-profit organization designed to encourage community service and volunteering opportunities for mothers and their daughters in grades 7-12. Cheers to good health!