David Hinsdale Memorial Scholarship

Crafting a Life That Matters My name is Steven, and I’m a student preparing to enter Tidewater Tech in Norfolk, Virginia to pursue a career in welding. What drew me to this path isn’t just the fire, sparks, or steel—it’s the pride of building something that lasts, the satisfaction of seeing hard work take shape in the real world. Like David Hinsdale, I believe in showing up, working hard, and helping others along the way. The past few years have challenged me in ways I never expected. I lost both my grandfather and my father—two of the most important men in my life. My grandfather passed away just three weeks before I made the decision to pursue trade school. He was the kind of man who could fix anything and took pride in every project, whether it was plumbing, carpentry, or electrical work. He taught me the value of working with your hands, of figuring things out, and never leaving a job halfway done. My dad, Dan “Uniball” Lansing, was a welder for most of his life. He was a fighter—surviving cancer, overcoming paralysis, and undergoing multiple joint replacements. Despite the physical pain, he stayed focused on the work and his family. He believed in second chances and always extended a helping hand to people who needed it. Like David Hinsdale, my dad believed that if someone was willing to put in the effort, they deserved a shot. That belief stuck with me. I want to follow in those footsteps. I’m not chasing a trade just for a paycheck—I want a life of purpose. Welding gives me the chance to create things with strength, integrity, and precision. More importantly, it’s a way for me to build a future where I can also uplift others. My long-term goal is to become a certified structural or pipeline welder, and eventually run my own welding business. But beyond just business, I want to create opportunities for people who’ve been overlooked—young people who didn’t thrive in traditional school settings or who feel like they don’t have a direction. I’ve been there. I know what it feels like to be full of potential but not know where to start. Through mentorship and on-the-job training, I hope to give others a path forward—just like David gave people when he ran his own company. I want to be known for my work ethic, my loyalty, and my heart. I want to be the guy who shows up, gets the job done right, and makes the people around him better. That’s how I plan to make a difference—in my work, in my community, and in the legacy I leave behind. This scholarship would be a step toward that future, and I would be honored to carry on the spirit of David Hinsdale’s dedication, generosity, and craftsmanship. Thank you for your consideration.

I plan to make an impact on my community and my environment by encouraging innovation and creativity among not only myself but others. I want to make a change within our nation and spark ingenuity across the map. My plan to action is to call on others to do the same and actually put the blood sweat and tears into the work that they do to make it happen. I come from a financial hardship position that is why I want everyone to prosper I’ve seen how being unemployed, unproductive, and being unprepared can change your life. I never want to go back to that time in my life so I carry an attitude of progression and growth to motivate and allow myself to put one foot in front of the other. The Steps that I would take as an individual to promote this change is to first start out by getting active. I would go to get flyers printed out and cut the slips up with precision so that people see it and immediately can rip off a slip for a point of contact. I would design the flyer to be a vibrant color and have a flashy look to it so that it catches people’s eyes and more importantly their attention. I would then send a group message after all of the slips are gone from the locations that they were displayed at disclosing a time and a location to hold a conference. The conference would be utilized as a brainstorming time to discuss thoughts, feelings, and opinions. Once our plan is fully operational we will take action and unionize to promote technological change and improve our economy exponentially by the amount of effort and time put into the project. We as an organization will hold lots of rallies to promote our idea of innovation and technological advancement throughout the years. We will monitor our growth and development as a community to ensure progress and our ability to make a change. The community will then hold a program that is designed to monitor the progress and behaviors of individuals in their respective fields of work. This will ensure that the ideas that the community wants to push are being engraved in the minds of its followers and demonstrated within the real world and the environment around them. I am unsure if this will work to promote change in my community, so I want to keep positive thoughts and stay persistent in my thoughts. It all starts with making a plan and identifying what your call to action will be.