Stiger Technical Scholarship

The field of study I am choosing to excel in is Auto Collision Repair. During high school my junior year I had the opportunity to be a part of a trade school called Kent Career Technical Center (KCTC). I made a mistake in choosing Auto Collision Repair instead of Auto Tech and I had no other option but to take the class because the one i wanted originally was already full. Thankfully someone was looking out for me because after the first couple weeks I loved it. It was so great for me i chose to continue it my senior year and have learned so much. It is definitely a sustainable trade to have and to be able to learn the ins and outs of this career has been fulfilling. My passion for this trade came pretty quick into my junior year. Our instructor gave us an assignment to "repair a fender." It had dings and dents and cut marks in it. The end product to the assignment was that I had to present this fender as if it had never been damaged. Though this sounds straightforward I was able to go through the process step by step using tools like a body hammer and a dolly. Next we used products like bondo to fill in the finer abrasions and sanded it smooth. Lastly we laid the three step paint process and buffed it to shine. Once the paint was laid on the fender I was hooked. Being able to work with my hands and see a project from start to finish has been one of the best accomplishments through this training. Looking long-term on my career choice was the other decision i had to make. Is this something I will want to do for the rest of my life? Can i continue to learn new skills in this trade long after graduation? Those two questions for me were the crossroads of where I should go in my life. The answer to both questions are a definite yes. Trades are dying off to accommodate technology. This path that I am choosing will be able to incorporate old school and new tech. No matter where I go I will have this trade under my belt. The longer I pursue it the more knowledge I gain. I am planning on attending Lincoln College of Technology starting in July of 2025 where after I complete the course and graduate I will have my associates degree. From there I can only go up. Thank You for taking the time to consider my application. I know this career will be rewarding for me.

I remember being young and looking up into the sky. I remember loving the thought of flying but never really knowing what exactly I wanted to do with that love. Then, when I was 13 years old, I saw a friend go to the mission field serving in the area of plane mechanics. When I saw him follow his dream, I thought, “That’s what I want to do!” Ever since then, I have been pursuing that goal. In the year of 2023, I had the amazing opportunity to go to Alaska and shadow the same plane mechanic that piqued my interest in mission aviation. It was a really good trip! I had the chance to work alongside my friend and discover the enjoyment I received from this career option as well as what it meant to me doing it in a serving capacity. I’ve always liked the thought of smaller airplanes as well as the idea of working on them. My passion is planes and helping people! My plan is to be able to do both by becoming a missionary pilot/mechanic. My hope is that I can go out of the United States to serve in this way. From what I have seen, planes are very important in the mission field due to the fact that they can get to so many more places than boats or cars. I want to go into this field so I can serve the Lord to the best of my abilities in an area where I can tell it would be a very big help. My first priority in moving forward is getting my AMT license. After that, I would like to get at least a PPL and then possibly a CPL, depending on what's needed the most. I have chosen to get my AMT first so that I can get a job right away to be able to make money to continue my plan to acquire my PPL next. I’m getting ready to go to the School of Missionary Aviation Technology or otherwise known as SMAT. A common question I have come across is, “Where do you see yourself in five or ten years?” My answer to that is, “I see myself in five years off in a different country working on and flying planes, transporting supplies to people that can’t get them very easily.” I know that is kind of a broad answer, that is because there are things I need to figure out as I go along. However, I have a basic structure of what I want to do. Another good reason I see for pursuing this field is, there is so much opportunity! Pilots and mechanics are in high demand pretty much everywhere you go! I hear so much about how there aren’t very many people who want to go to work. That isn’t me! I have found a lot of purpose in why I want to go into aviation. I have a drive to work hard to make that happen. I don’t have much of a history in aviation. It doesn't run in my family. I will be a first generation aviator.

I'm pursuing welding because welding has been a dream of mine for many years. Since I was little, I have always looked up to my dad who is a part time race car driver. Every week growing up I would spend time at the race track and time in the garage working to prepare for the next race with him. In middle school, I asked my dad about how he got into racing and how he knew so much about his car. I found out that my dad had done welding when he was in school at his tech center. At his tech program, he ended up welding together some roll bars for his first race car. When he told me this story and more about his time welding, I thought that was cool and thought welding could be a fun career. When I got into high school and found out that my tech center offered welding I thought that was a great opportunity, and during my senior year of high school I decided to enroll in the welding program. Even though I always thought welding sounded interesting, what has made me passionate about welding now has been going to the tech center to learn the trade, and my teachers guiding me when I'm stuck and need help to pass a weld. When I finally get a new weld that had been challenging, I feel incredibly accomplished. I want to be able to go to work every day to feel pride in my work, and I know I can do that in welding. Welding is needed and in-demand. I believe I'd be a good fit for welding in the field because I have learned some skills, I am patient, and understand the importance of thinking through how to best weld through analyzing angles and making sure I get the right bead. Another thing that makes me passionate about welding is being able to learn and understand how to improve my welds to make myself a better welder. To start a career in welding means that you are patient, willing to learn, and have some knowledge of how to weld and what goes into the process. You are also willing to try and improve to make yourself a better welder, so then you can help others if they are stuck or have a question. I believe welding is the perfect fit for me, and am excited to pursue a career in a field that I already enjoy doing the work within. I can't wait to see what my future in welding holds, and am so glad my dad shared his story about getting into welding in the tech center with me because now I am following in his footsteps and making a career out of it.