Autumn Leah Beemer Memorial Scholarship

I feel I would be a great candidate for the Autumn Leah Beemer Memorial Scholarship. I have become an exceptional welder over a short amount of years and welding is definately a career that I'm very excited to pursue. I am currently in a Leadership Program at my High School, Honor Roll Student, a member of the Student Council and I'm pursuing my future career with being accepted into the Northern Tier Career Center as a Junior in High School, a first generation student and a female. Even as a young child I've always wanted to create almost anything. First was with wood until I saw metal being fused together! My first wish is to pursue my welding in one of the Military branches, or a college that offers advanced training and courses. But I do know now that I have found my passion! I have been given an incredible opportunity through the NTCC for a hands on program to advance in my skills. I will be able to learn my craft and how things "fit" together to create something amazing or functional. I've already had 2 years of welding with both regular and advanced courses and can't wait to continue with something new! I'm a determined individual, a hard worker, I don't mind getting dirty, a team player whether on the soccer field or track, I use my leadership skills to the best of my ability, and I have the willingness and desire to learn from teachers as well as other students. I also welcome any hard challenge with an end product that I have created. There are so many opportunities with welding skills from artistic pieces to large construction projects. The possibilities are endless for me! I know that the Welding Program is the key to my future. I want to be the best welder I can be with my end goal of becoming an Underwater Welder either for the Military or another job avenue - but this is for my lifetime! I know my passion will take much training, endless hours, and finances that I won't always have readily available. I know that this scholarship will help make an impact with my learning and at the same time will also carry on Autumn's name and legacy. I'm excited and ready to dedicate myself to pursue MY goal. Where there is a will, there is a way. And I believe that there is a way!

My name is Ryan Breiten, and I was lucky enough to be Autumn's friend at Abington Heights High School and Johnson College. We started the journey to become welders together. She inspired me every day. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go to Johnson because my mom had forced me to stay enrolled even though I wanted to back out before school started. On the first day, I saw Autumn and didn't realize we would be in the same class. After talking for a long time, she convinced me to stay. We had our stations next to each other, and every day we would talk in class and push each other to do our best work. She was dedicated to our craft. When she died in January, it was very hard to face going back to the empty station beside me, but I knew I had to continue and not give up. She would have been so mad at me if I had. Every day I tried a little harder and became more determined to pass my D1.1 FCAW certification. I took after Autumn's example; I stayed at school between periods to get in as much practice and extra help as I could. I have an IEP. Sometimes I find school to be hard, especially reading and lecture classes, yet I knew if I stuck with it, it would be worth it in the end. I share her views and values by living life to the fullest, as she did, and by always finding a way to get what she wanted and get through everything no matter how hard it got. She showed me how to have fun at places I didn't want to be at and always found a way to mess around. We both wanted to do the big thing in welding, like TIG welding at Lockheed Martin on aircraft; we also wanted to go back for the 2-year program at Johnson for pipeline welding because we both wanted to go out west and see the world. I am going back this fall to keep our dreams going. In class, we would talk about nature and all the things we could build and fix as welders, and we would make crazy ideas about what we could and would build, like aircraft and bikes. But most of the time we would talk about trucks and how to mess with Mr. P. I never knew how much she meant to me until I lost her. I want to keep her dream alive in me and work on the stuff she would have loved and do the things she would have wanted to do. I hope she's watching me, and I hope she's proud of what I'm doing to make her happy and help the others around me.