Drougas Trade Scholarship

January 10, 2023 Drougas Trade Scholarship Dear Mr. Peter Drougas, My name is Brent Gordon and I am currently a senior at Bedford High School in Bedford, New Hampshire. In addition to my regular academic classes, I have spent the last year and a half attending the Manchester School of Technology (MST) in Manchester, New Hampshire. At MST I have been studying the electrical trade which I have enjoyed and excelled in. I have obtained my electrical apprenticeship license and when I graduate in May 2023, I will have one full year of apprentice hours completed in addition to my high school diploma. In addition to my high school studies, I work part-time at a local pizza shop during the school year and full-time in the summers. I have a very strong work ethic. I started working at 15 years old and I have never missed a day of work. I believe that the trades are not regularly promoted in high schools, and I am lucky that my school gave me the opportunity to discover this career path. My regular academics did not spark an interest for me. I have attention deficet disorder (ADD) and I found the regular classroom setting left me lost and unable to keep my attention. When the opportunity to attend MST was given to me in my junior year, I jumped at the chance. This was a new world of learning which allowed me to be an active participant in the classroom rather than sitting in the back of the room uninterested and unfocused. The electrical trades, like other trades, will be seeing many skilled tradespeople retiring over the next 10 – 20 years. It is expected that the number retirees will far outpace the number of newly skilled tradespeople. This is going to leave a great need across the country. I have already enrolled and have been accepted into Lincoln Technical School in East Windsor, Connecticut. I will be starting my electrical studies there in July 2023 and will be living in East Windsor. I am excited for this new chapter of my life, not to mention getting to live away from home for the first time. This program is a 12-month electrical program whereby I will receive my electrical certificate and another full year of apprenticeship hours. Lincoln Tech has a great deal of relationships with top companies across the country that are looking for electrical graduates. I am open to working for a national company or going to a private company. Long-term goals would be to work as a linesman for a utility company or working for myself and having my own company. I am fortunate that my parents are paying for part of my tuition and room and board. I am planning on getting student loans for the remaining. I want to pay for my own education and take responsibility for my finances while building my credit along the way. Any additional aid towards my education would be greatly appreciated. I was thrilled to find your scholarship as scholarships for the trades seem to be few and far between. I very much appreciate your time and consideration of my application for a scholarship from the Drougas Trade Scholarship Fund. Sincerely, Brent Gordon Future Electrician