Most students recently awarded scholarships by the Architectural Woodwork Institute’s Education Foundation (AWIEF) already are or plan to enroll at colleges belonging to the Woodwork Career Alliance of North America. Eleven of the 13 students will enroll at WCA colleges.

The AWIEF awarded $25,250 in scholarships in May to students preparing for careers in the wood industry. The foundation received a record number of secondary school applicants in the history of the scholarship program.

“The nominee must be either currently entered in a woodworking program or entering one in the fall, and he/she must submit an application as well as an academic recommendation from their school advisor and a personal reference from an employer, academic counselor or other instructor,” said Kent Gilchrist, AWIEF chair.

“A letter of reference from the student’s advisor is required as is one from the applicant explaining and clarifying how the funds will be used and how the scholarship will contribute to his/her entry into the architectural woodwork field.”

Nine students received $2,500 scholarships and four received $1,250. Seven of the students will hone their wood industry talents at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas. In addition to PSU, other WCA EDUcation member schools who will train scholarship winners for wood industry career are Madison Area Technical College of Madison, Wisconsin, with two scholarship winners and Fox Valley Technical College of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and New England School of Architectural Woodworking of Easthampton, Massachusetts, with one student each. See https://www.awinet.org/publications/newsbriefs