The Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Minnesota (AASP-MN) announced scholarship awards totaling $18,000 to help automotive service and collision repair students pay for tuition and tools during the 2017-2018 school year.
The $1,000 scholarships are the result of a successful fundraising drive within the AASP-MN membership, as well as a generous donation from the Minnesota State I-CAR Committee.
Twenty college students from nine schools submitted scholarship applications. This year also marked the first time that AASP-MN opened the scholarships to high school students entering their first year of a two-year NATEF-certified automotive program, resulting in nine additional applicants.
Applications were reviewed by a committee of industry representatives, with consideration given to scholastic achievement, education and career goals, financial need and written recommendations.
College recipients were:
- Samantha Adams, Minnesota State Community and Technical College, Moorhead – automotive service technology
- Trevor Bitterman, South Central College, Mankato – auto body collision repair
- Joshua Bradfield, Century College, White Bear Lake – automotive service technology
- Ben DeMarais, Minnesota State Community and Technical College, Moorhead – automotive service technology
- Paul Gilpin, Dakota County Technical College, Rosemount – automotive service technology
- Jordan Hockens, Rochester Community and Technical College, Rochester – automotive service technology
- Wyatt Krampitz, South Central College, Mankato – auto body collision repair
- Benjamin Lamb, Century College, White Bear Lake – automotive service technology
- Angel Paucar, Dunwoody College of Technology, Minneapolis – auto body collision repair
- Gabino Rodriguez-Arguelles, South Central College, Mankato – auto body collision repair
- Jacob Simmel, Century College, White Bear Lake – automotive service technology
- Trieu Tran, Century College, White Bear Lake – automotive service technology
- Billy Watson, St. Cloud Community & Technical College, St. Cloud – auto body collision repair
Five scholarships were awarded to high school students – one auto body collision repair student entering Hennepin Technical College and four automotive service technology students entering Dakota County Technical College, St. Cloud Technical College, Century College and Central Lakes College.
The scholarship awards are the centerpiece of AASP-MN’s Automotive Education Fund, which was established to provide financial resources to support automotive students, enhance automotive programs and raise awareness of career opportunities in the independent automotive service industry.
