FMA Foundation Awards Manufacturing Scholarships

Twenty-six students pursuing careers in manufacturing each earned between $1,500 and $2,500 toward their post-secondary studies from Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs (NBT), the Foundation of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International (FMA; Elgin, IL). For the Fall 2017 semester, NBT awarded scholarships to the following students:

• Miranda Baker, Dutton, AL, machine tool technology at Northeast Alabama Community College.
• Alexander Barlow, Williamsport, PA, welding engineering at Pennsylvania College of Technology.
• Brent Bauries,* Austin, TX, aerospace engineering at The University of Texas at Austin.
• Devon Berrios, Sioux Falls, SD, mechanical engineering at Southeast Technical Institute.
• Celeste Branstrom,* Corpus Christi, TX, mechanical engineering at Texas A&M University – College Station.
• Benjamin Crandall, Albion, MI, airframe maintenance technology at Lansing Community College.
• Broc Downer,** Valley Springs, CA, welding at Hobart Institute of Welding Technology.
• Richard Enigl, Sturgeon Bay, WI, welding at Northwest Technical College.
• Shandyll Fredrickson, Boyd, WI, machine tool technology at Chippewa Valley Technical College.
• Cristina Hain, Winchester, MA, industrial engineering at Princeton University.
• Alfred Hanko, Beaver Dam, WI, design/drafting at Moraine Park Technical College.
• Eurydice Kanimba,** Blacksburg, VA, mechanical engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
• Alexander Kemnitz, Grand Island, NE, CNC manufacturing/machining at Central Community College – Hastings.
• Eric Kovacevich, Theresa, WI, manufacturing engineering at Fox Valley Technical College.
• Hannah Kuperus,** Hopkins, MI, mechanical engineering at Kettering University.
• Nathaniel Lyon,Fredericksburg, Pa., welding engineering at Pennsylvania College of Technology.
• Samuel McKeough, Gay, GA, welding at Georgia Trade School.
• Timothy Meinczinger, St. Charles, MO, robotics/mechatronics/automation at State Technical College of Missouri.
• Sarah Paxson, Palatine, IL, CNC manufacturing/machining at Harper College.
• Steven Prexta,** Uniontown, OH, materials science and engineering at The Ohio State University – Columbus Campus.
• David Reese, Maywood, IL, industrial engineering at Triton College.
• Melody Sadowski-Buca, Parma Heights, OH, aeronautical/aerospace engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology.
• Christopher Schwaller, Eldon, MO, design/drafting technology at State Technical College of Missouri.
• Matt Smolko, Hanover, PA, metal fabrication and welding at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology.
• Jimmy Thao, Appleton, WI, electrical engineering at Fox Valley Technical College.
• Spencer Tiegs, Waukesha, WI, mechanical engineering at Milwaukee School of Engineering.

“We are pleased to award scholarships to these deserving students and are happy to assist them in reaching their academic goals,” stated Edward Youdell, the president of Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs. “They recognize that skilled manufacturing careers can be rewarding financially and fulfilling personally. The knowledge and skills they obtain will help them be more competitive in the current job market. The most difficult jobs to fill today are those in the skilled trades and engineering. With majors in machine tool and CNC technology, structural and pipe welding, sheet metal fabrication, engineering, and precision machining technology, these students will be prepared for the skilled labor openings that American manufacturers must fill.”

To be eligible for the scholarships, applicants were required to be full-time students meeting a specified minimum GPA and enrolled in an engineering or manufacturing-related course of study, or a trade or technical program leading to a career in manufacturing. Students were responsible for submitting academic records and an engineering or manufacturing-related program description with each application. Since 1990, the Foundation has awarded nearly 400 scholarships to students enrolled in courses of study that will lead to careers in manufacturing. For more information about the program please click here.

In addition to the scholarship, each winner also received from NBT industry partner SolidWorks Corporation (Waltham, MA) a copy of their Student Design Kit CAD software package, an easy-to-learn, Windows-based 3D CAD application that gives students the ability to create “real-life” 3D designs that they can easily manipulate.

* U.K. Gupta Family Endowed Scholarship Recipient
**John Grossheim Memorial (OPC) Scholarship Recipient

www.nutsandboltsfoundation.org, www.fmanet.org