Scholarship Grants Help Students Train for Technician, Engineering Careers
Raleigh, North Carolina – Today, American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council awarded 17 students from across the country scholarships to pursue careers as commercial vehicle technicians or engineers.
“Finding innovative solutions to our industry’s ongoing technician shortage is a priority for TMC, and the Council is pleased to be able to partner with WyoTech, Western Technical College, Lincoln Tech, University of Northwest Ohio, Universal Technical Institute and SAE to bring these scholarship opportunities to fruition,” said TMC Executive Director Robert Braswell. “These initiatives provide greater choice for deserving scholarship-seeking students looking to prepare for a career as a commercial vehicle technician.”
The scholarships are managed by the Council’s Technician & Educator Committee in partnership with several technical schools, industry vendors and allied organizations.
Aaron Lanter of Richmond, Kentucky; Thomas McNamara of West Springfield, Massachusetts; Asher Dunn of Lancaster, Kentucky; and Tucker Brown of Barbourville, Kentucky, all received the TMC/Lincoln Tech/NADC Diesel Truck Technician Scholarship. The scholarship covers half the tuition for a 1,200- to 1,560-hour training program at one of six Lincoln Technical Institute/Lincoln College of Technology schools across the country.
Shaliah Mae Kohlenberg of DuBois, Pennsylvania, was named the 2024 TMC/University of Northwest Ohio Scholar, which consists of an award for tuition in the amount of up to $20,000.
The TMC/WyoTech Diesel Truck Technician Scholarship, which consists of a partial scholarship of up to $5,000 each, was awarded to Wesley Bihn of Portland, Indiana; Eric Culley of John Day, Oregon; William Gallacher of Carrizozo, New Mexico; and Jayden Walker of Milton-Freewater, Oregon.
Maggie Bockenstedt of Farley, Iowa; Cooper Hambright of New Cumberland, Pennsylvania; Juan Carlos Palacios of The Bronx, New York; and Bryan Perpuli-Ochoa of Las Cruces, New Mexico, all received a half-scholarship for UTI’s diesel technology program or the combined automotive/diesel technology program.
Raul Vega Jr. of Tornillo, Texas, was awarded the 2024 TEC/Western Tech Scholarship, covering 50% of the tuition to pursue a degree in diesel mechanics and diesel technology at Western Tech.
Finally, TMC announced that Zachary Been of Bakersfield, California, Bryan Edgar of Huntsville, Alabama; and Josh Cassell of Worcester, Massachusetts, all had been awarded the TMC/SAE Donald D. Dawson Technical Scholarship, consisting of three $1,500 scholarships, which can be renewed for three years and used for tuition or any other incidental school expenses while pursuing an undergraduate degree in automotive engineering.
A complete list of scholarship rules is featured on the application and can be found on TMC’s website http://tmc.trucking.org. Completed scholarship application packages for 2025 must be received by the TMC office by April 15, 2025, and winners will be notified by May 15, 2025.