Women in Auto Care awards 20 scholarships

LAS VEGAS (Nov. 28, 2016) — Women in Auto Care awarded $60,000 in scholarships to 20 high school and post-secondary students recently, including one $10,000 scholarship to a Summer Miller, a student in automotive technology at Brookhaven College in Decatur, Texas.

The group, formerly the Car Care Council Women's Board (WB), has been awarding scholarships to young women pursuing careers in the automotive trades for the past 14 years. It announced the 2016 recipients at a press conference Nov. 1 during the recent Automotive Aftermarket Parts Expo (AAPEX) in Las Vegas.

Applicants for the scholarships are judged on a number of criteria, including: essay; activities/volunteering, etc.; grades/GPA; classes; financial need; and industry commitment. The 2016 applicants were judged by eight reviewers, the association said.

Ms. Miller was awarded the Kathleen Schmatz Scholarship, named for the retired president and CEO of the Auto Care Association.  This scholarship also includes a sponsored trip to the 2017 AAPEX.

Ms. Miller said receiving the scholarship will allow her to “focus on my classes and grades without wondering how I would pay my tuition. I feel so blessed that Women in Auto Care sees my potential and is willing to help me achieve my goals.”

This is Ms. Miller's second industry scholarship. In 2015 she earned a $2,500 scholarship from Federal-Mogul Motorparts as part of the company's comprehensive “Tech First” initiative.

Other scholarship winnners were:

High School:

• $5,000 — Mindy Brown, Greenville Technical College, Greenville, S.C.;

• $2,500 — Claire Choinacky, Indiana University; and Delaney McAvoy, Automotive Training Center, Warminster, Pa.;

• $1,000 — Leah Carron, University of Maine, Orono, Maine; Winter Stringham, Universal Technical Institute, Avondale, Ariz.; Sabrina Alatto, Universal Technical Institute, Lisle, Ill.; Kylie Concelman, Community College of Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, Pa.; and Ryan Falk, Washington State University, Pullman, Wash.  

Post-Secondary

• $5,000  — Jacqueline Hower, Northwood University, Midland, Mich. (Becky Babcox Scholarship); Grace Cameron, Northwood University (Continental Scholarship); and Sarah Spoto, University of Rochester, Rochester, N.Y.

• $2,500 —Rachel Berbert, Chipola College, Marianna, Fla. (Babcox Media Scholarship); Laura Bulvas, College of Dupage, Dupage, Glen Ellen, Ill.; Kelly Callender, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colo.; Sarah Bako, West Chester University, West Chester, Pa.; Allison Washington, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Shannon Holsten, State Technical College of Missouri, Linn, Mo.; Tara Rodgers, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Ill.; and Ellen Donabedian, Michigan State University, Lansing, Mich.  

“It is incredible to see how much our scholarship fund has grown over the years,” said Vonda Lee, education committee chair, Women in Auto Care.

“We are thrilled to be able to award Summer a $10,000 scholarship that will truly impact her education and we are grateful to our sponsors and all those who support us in our mission to help female students looking to enter the auto care industry.”

The application process for the 2017 scholarships is open at the group's website.  The deadline is March 31, 2017.

Applicants must have a minimum grade point average if 2.5 or better, the group said.

In addition, high school applicants must be seniors who plan on attending an ASE-certified, post-secondary automobile technology program, while post-secondary technician applicants must have completed one year at an ASE-certified, post-secondary automotive technology program by July 1, 2015.