WMIA awards $35,000 in wood technology scholarships
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FAIRFAX, Va. -- The Woodworking Machinery Industry Association’s Educational Foundation awards scholarships to those who want to study and eventually pursue a career in wood technology, machinery, and related fields. To date, the WMIA foundation has provided more than $480,000 to assist talented students with furthering their educational and career goals.

This year, the foundation’s board of trustees selected eight students to receive a total of $12,400 in scholarships. The foundation also continued its scholarship endowment program (SEP) this year, in which it provided a fixed amount of scholarship funds to several schools, and the schools determined how many scholarships to award, and in what amounts.

Five schools: Pittsburg State University, the New England School of Architectural Woodworking, Seattle Central College, Madison Area Technical College, and the École Nationale du Meuble et de L’Ébénisterie (ENME); participated in the program, awarding a total of $23,000 in scholarships to 17 students.

The foundation’s total award in 2019 was $35,400. 

The 2020 scholarship recipients are:

• Matthew Arnold, Overland Park, Kansas – Pittsburg State University

• Kelson Claassen, Hesston, Kansas – Pittsburg State University

• Gage Davis, Dorchester, Texas – Pittsburg State University

• Aiesha Goodlow, Seattle, Washington – Seattle Central College Wood Technology Center

• Kyle Gorham, Baldwinsville, New York – SUNY Morrisville

• Jenny Hefferan, Madison, Wisconsin – Madison Area Technical College

• Thomas Hill, Rockford, Minnesota –Hennepin Technical College

• Walter Iverson, Coon Rapids, Minnesota – Hennepin Technical College

• Connor Jennings, Overland Park, Kansas – Pittsburg State University

• Andrew Laufenberg, Madison, Wisconsin – Madison Area Technical College

• Patrice Lavoie, Montreal, Quebec – École Nationale du Meuble et de L’Ébénisterie (ENME)

• Evan Martin, Seattle, Washington – Seattle Central College Wood Technology Center

• Celeste McDonald, Seattle, Washington – Seattle Central College Wood Technology Center

• Colman Momenee, Francestown, New Hampshire – Vermont Woodworking School

• Aline Moreau, Victoriaville, Quebec – École Nationale du Meuble et de L’Ébénisterie (ENME)

• Travis Perrett, Northampton, Massachusetts – New England School of Architectural Woodworking

• Sarah Provard, West Jordan, Utah – Pittsburg State University

• Adam Reigel, Star Prairie, Wisconsin – Hennepin Technical College

• Madeline Samet, Chapel Hill, North Carolina – N.C. State

• Aaron Schneider, Madison, Wisconsin – Madison Area Technical College

• Jared Spence, Seattle, Washington – Seattle Central College Wood Technology Center

• Curtis Taylor, Peyton, Colorado – Pittsburg State University

• Theodore Vallente, Long Beach, California – Cerritos College

• Kendra Van Polen, McBain, Michigan – Pittsburg State University

• Chris Wernimont, Overland Park, Kansas – Pittsburg State University

Bios on each of this year's award recipients can be found at https://www.wmia.org/educationand-scholarships/2020-scholarship-winners/.

“Each year, WMIA’s Education Committee and the Foundation Board of Trustees find themselves in awe of the skills and accomplishments of the scholarship recipients, and are impressed by their passion for a career in the woodworking industry,” said WMIA Education Committee Chairman Chris Hofmann, Lamello product manager, Eastern U.S., Colonial Saw Co., Inc. “Once again, we get a glimpse that the future of our industry is very bright. WMIA is very proud to support the industry in this way year after year!”

The WMIA Educational Foundation is supported by contributions from business groups and individuals in the woodworking industry, and the International Woodworking Fair. For information on contributing to the WMIA Educational Foundation, contact Larry Hoffer at [email protected]. See www.wmia.org

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Karl Forth

Karl D. Forth is online editor for CCI Media. He also writes news and feature stories in FDMC Magazine, in addition to newsletters and custom publishing projects. He is also involved in event organization, and compiles the annual FDM 300 list of industry leaders. He can be reached at [email protected].