The Women’s Industry Network (WIN) has announced an expansion of its signature scholarship program in the 2022-23 academic school year and will continue its tradition of financially supporting females who demonstrate a desire to excel in the field of collision repair.
Applications for the 2022-23 program will be accepted from Sept. 12 through Oct. 28, 2022. WIN scholarships provide tuition assistance, educational opportunities and enrichment events to selected applicants.
The restructuring is designed to attract more students and increase the number of awards every year, starting with doubling the award rate in the next year and enabling a variety of students to grow in their collision repair career journey. As part of the application process, each WIN Scholarship applicant registers for a WIN Student Membership, which are complimentary. Additionally, WIN supports collision repair instructors with access to free WIN memberships through the Pay It Forward campaign.
The expanded 2022-23 program offers the College Student Tuition and Conference Scholarship Award on two financial levels. Recipients are awarded a stipend ranging from $500 up to $2,500 based on the selection team’s evaluation of their application and interaction during an interview. Recipients also receive complimentary registration for attendance to the virtual format of the annual WIN Educational Conference to be held in May 2023.
“It has been a privilege to contribute to the transformation of the WIN Scholarship Program,” said Laura Kottschade, 2022-23 co-chair of the Sponsorship Committee. “The new tiered criteria for the 2022-23 program engages students across a wider spectrum of experience. We understand the need to attract talent to our industry and are firm believers that supporting students throughout their schooling will make a difference. The scholarship team is looking forward to getting to know a new cohort of students through this next year and continuing those relationships into their careers.”
WIN is also kicking off a new Student Engagement program while continuing to offer mentorship opportunities.
“The objective of both programs is to foster relationships with other WIN members who have a shared passion for our industry,” said Jeanne Marie Esquivel, 2022-23 co-chair of the Sponsorship Committee. “The Student Engagement program will connect student members with female members who are in a similar stage in their lives. The Mentoring Program provides networking and individual connection with women in our industry who can share relevant experiences from their success. These networking groups will support new entrants to our industry and hopefully create lifetime friendships that further WIN goals for longer term career advancement and retention.”
In 2021, WIN awarded scholarships and conference registrations to 11 collision repair students, a record number:
- Julie Ascencio Apopka, Florida (Lake Technical College)
- Jessica Arnett Moscow, Idaho (Lewis-Clark State College)
- Natalie Aulet Bothell, Washington (Lake Washington Institute of Technology)
- Lydia Brown Shepherd, Texas (Universal Technical Institute)
- Octavie Fonou Kamagang Monroe, Ohio (Scarlet Oaks Career Campus)
- Sylvia Fort Torrance, California (El Camino College)
- Jamie Folds Daphne, Alabama (Universal Technical Institute)
- Kelsey Pena Chicago, Ill. (Lincoln College of Technology)
- Camille Sakizzie Pocatello, Idaho (Idaho State College)
- Hanna Selzer Lewiston, Idaho (Lewis-Clark State College)
- Chellcee Williams Chicago, Ill. (Lincoln College of Technology)
To learn more about WIN’s scholarship program, click here.
