Powering Up.org: Empowering Pathways Into Energy Scholarship

My Name is Champ Watson and this is why I am interested in entering the energy workforce. For starters since I was younger I have always been curious about energy and electricity, I have had a drive to know how circuits work and why it works. Electricity interests me and I have role models in my life that work with energy, my uncle is a line man and my cousin work on windmills. Both of them have told me to get into a trade that involves energy because it is a great path to success and a comfortable lifestyle if I work hard. When I was younger my mother bought me this circuit board to learn about energy and how it travels, it would play funny sounds, spin a mini propeller, and it taught me many great things like the current, the circuit, and the power. I know there are many more things to learn but I am always open minded to any idea and opportunity thrown at me. A little more about my personal life is that I love wrestling and I have had a passion about it since I was younger. My father has been a great role model for it and has set me up for success, I have a decent amount of skill and qualified for Colorado state this year at 175 pounds as a freshman. I feel like working with energy and climbing windmills needs an amount of athleticism, flexibility, and stamina so wrestling has given me all of these attributes to be able to be successful in the work place when it comes to carrying heavier things, climbing high poles that are dangerous, and being able to work in tight environments because I guess its not comfortable up in the sky on a windmill. I am not quite set on what job to do in the energy work force but I am interested in energy because I want to be able to give people power and help others, I want to do what's right for everybody and what's right for the environment. I am more set on working on natural energy like in hydro energy or air energy. I want to be where I fit best in the energy force and to be comfortable, I do not want to be living paycheck to paycheck in my future and I want to be able to live a lifestyle with kids and a wife.

Ever since I was a little kid, I knew I would go into the trades. I would constantly “fix” everything with my plastic starter tools. Despite my maintenance being imaginary, I grew up learning real life skills. I helped my dad in the garage every chance I had. He taught me basic skills that I still need to this day. He helped me develop a passion for fixing, maintaining, and creating new things along with opening my eyes to a world of trades. In middle school, I was determined to become a mechanic. That was until I was diagnosed with severe scoliosis which is a curvature of the spine. This changed my life as I was no longer allowed to put excessive strain on my spine constantly. I began to become anxious about the career that I would pursue as many trades were now no longer possible for my circumstance. As I began high school, I began my search for more trades. I searched online and made many connections to people within the trades. Their input helped direct me to the energy workforce. I did a lot of research on energy plants around me and learned about the job and why it’s so important. I have made many connections to energy technicians which help to guide me in my journey to become a technician myself. I have discovered that energy technicians have a very important role not only for our community but also for our environment as a whole. They help to keep power on which has become an essential part of life. They install, maintain, and repair the systems that generate and distribute electricity. Not only do they help to generate and distribute power, but they help to move towards a cleaner more reliable energy source. Energy technicians help to develop renewable energy technologies including solar, wind, hydro-electric, and nuclear energy sources. These help to reduce pollution and combat climate change. I find the energy workforce to be a great way for me to better my skills while continuing to improve the environment and community. I am currently a junior in high school, I will take early entrance courses my senior year through West Virginia Northern Community College in the Energy Tech. Program. Upon graduation, I plan to receive an associates degree where I will then further my knowledge on an internship program with an energy company in my area. Given the opportunity, I will apply all of my principles to create a welcoming work environment, improve my skillset, and become a reliable asset to the team.

Dear Scholarship Committee, My name is Vincent Ray Whitney, and I am writing to express my sincere interest in being considered for scholarship assistance as I pursue a career in the energy industry. Inspired by my adopted father, who has worked as a landman for over 20 years, I’ve developed a deep appreciation for the vital role this field plays in shaping our future. His experiences and stories from years in the industry—traveling across the country, negotiating land deals, and working on energy development projects—have sparked my own passion to follow in his footsteps and contribute to the future of energy. I find the entire energy sector fascinating, especially as we witness rapid technological advancements that are transforming how we produce, manage, and consume energy. From traditional oil and gas operations to emerging renewable technologies, this industry offers exciting opportunities for innovation and growth. I believe that by acquiring the right education and skills, I can help meet the growing energy demands of our economy in a sustainable and responsible way. My academic plan is to begin my studies at Tyler Junior College, where I will complete my foundational coursework and begin training in my chosen field. After two years, I plan to transfer to either the University of Texas in Austin or the University of North Texas in Denton to complete my degree. My adopted father followed a similar path, and through his hard work and determination, he was able to build a successful career that has supported our family for many years. His journey and hard work has been a major source of inspiration for me. I recently had my last name legally changed to my adopted father's so that I may carry his legacy. In particular, I am drawn to the mapping and land management side of the industry. I plan to pursue certification in GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Mapping, a critical tool in modern energy development. This program will equip me with the technical skills to analyze land data, support exploration efforts, and contribute to efficient project planning. Receiving this scholarship would significantly ease the financial burden of my education and allow me to focus on my studies and career preparation. More importantly, it would represent a meaningful step toward achieving my goals and giving back to an industry that has already given so much to my family. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Vincent Ray Whitney

My name is Robert Zavala and as of now I have been accepted into a welding program at Idaho State University for a 2-year Associates Degree in Applied Sciences. As I have stated, I am an aspiring welder and after the completion of this course I aim to work as a pipeline welder or continue my education likely in the fields of mechanical engineering or nuclear engineering. Challenging STEM related activities and working with my hands has a been a constant throughout my life. I have never been afraid to dirty my hands nor have I been averse to anything science related from chemistry, paleontology, and most recently nuclear physics and chemistry. Besides my general interest in skilled labor intensive activities and science I also recognize the practical benefits of delving into these topics. The hands on experience allows me tinker and create while the more academic side allows me to understand how the world around me operates and how we as humans could potentially use or improve our ways of providing for ourselves and producing new technology. The energy sector is of particular interest as it has a monumental effect on our modern society. Everything is built around using different forms of energy from coal to the sun to power many essential systems that we rely on. And because of our deep seated need for the production and use of these energy sources is paramount to success and sustainability there needs to be ways that it can be improved. So what does me being a welder have to do with the energy sector? Welders play a critical and essential role in the initial production and maintenance of infrastructure relating to energy production. Oil, gas, and coal all need machinery to extract these resources and welders are a key player in the manufacturing of these pieces of equipment as well as their upkeep. Transporting these resources also requires many forms of machinery and permanent infrastructure often constructed of steel in which their assembly cannot be accomplished in factories. Pipelines are the poster child of this form of infrastructure as they are extraordinarily massive and even remote and without the crews installing them, namely welders, the efficient transportation of fluid fuels will be relegated to the whims of railroads and trucks. Additional parts to the energy equation involve refineries, boilers, turbines, piping, buildings, pressure vessels, reactor cores, and containment shields upon numerous other parts. But without welders, the harnessing of the Earth's mineral wealth for our energy production would be a heck of a lot harder and significantly more inefficient. But another thing to consider is our impact on the environment. Sure we can harness all the stored energy in the hydrocarbons we burn but that comes at the cost of air pollution by soot and heavy metals as well as anthropogenic climate change. An estimated 8.3 million people die and a multitude more suffer chronic respiratory illnesses each year as a result of our use of fossil fuels to power our world. They might be cheap, proven, and relatively efficient at the moment but should we continue to beat the price of millions of lives each year? I think not. To this I suggest our future lies in nuclear energy from both fission and fusion. The sheer amount of power they can produce at the low amount of waste that is produced plus a proven safety record are all pointing in the direction of nuclear power. Don't let the fear mongering and propaganda tell you otherwise. Humanities' source of power lies not with carbon, but the atom itself.

The sun rises and sets daily; as a child, I never questioned this event, and as I grow into a young adult, how rarely do I contemplate it? Besides, we can all still tell when it will shine bright and become dim outside from a simple internet search. When we look into our homes, the light, heat, and resources that run our lives provide for us all year long, even when the world around our homes fades to darkness. We have light by just flicking a switch and heat by hitting a few buttons, this practice has been instilled in us the same way dawn and dusk have since childhood. Growing up in separate homes with separate personalities can show you different viewpoints and ways of doing tasks. At my mother’s, we like to leave any lights on that create a cozy and comfortable feeling. Leaving on lights while not in rooms for a few minutes is beyond normal practice, completely contrasting with my father’s home. From the time I could reach a light switch, I would walk into a room, turn the light on, and complete or obtain whatever I needed. Once I walked out of the room briefly, I heard a "click" immediately, and then, turning around, I would look up at my father in disbelief at how quickly he made his point of turning off the lights when not using them. My father still practices this, continually making me further acknowledge it. This quirk about him truly opens my eyes to how familiar we are with the resources electricity holds at our fingertips. Nonetheless, just if our pantry is running low on the food we need, why don’t we manage to think about our electricity the same way? In early middle school, I became intrigued about where our electricity came from and how the whole process functioned. Lots of us were given opportunities to debate between different types of renewable and non-renewable energies by researching and learning how they worked. As a student not fond of 'arguing' or fully using my opinion against another, I became extremely passionate about the topic and prepared a well-researched debate. Roughly a year later, the opportunity came to me to participate in what is known as "KidWind." This competition features students building miniature wind turbines and then producing a presentation to share with engineers and experts in electrical careers. This year, my team and I will participate in KidWind Worlds after roughly two years of vigorous work and dedication to learning, problem-solving, and researching renewable energy. Throughout this experience, I gained the opportunity to meet and interview companies and CEOs, which gave me an even better understanding of real-world use and expectations. I've become passionate about energy and have realized how most of us are blind to its powerful use. Many of the people I talk to are less focused on the future of our world but rather on their personal lives. The next generation to come will be faced with formidable tasks and choices to form if electricity continues to be a dying resource. Just as we rely on our electricity, like the sunrise and sunset, we need prominent people to advocate the luxury we can only have for a limited time.