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2013 Scholarship Winners


The scholarship committee has selected the winners for 2013. There were 8 applicants this year.  The members of the Scholarship Committee were not aware of the identities of the applicants nor were they aware of the sponsoring companies when making their decisions.

The decision was a tough one, but the committee chose 3 applicants to award the $4,000 fund to.


Bobby Baer has been awarded a $2,000 scholarship. He was sponsored by Abbott Interfast Corp. He just completed his sophomore year at the University of Illinois, in Champaign, Illinois. He is pursuing a career in Engineering, with a minor in Math. He wishes to work for an engineering firm or nuclear power company when he graduates, with a goal of designing something that can make a difference in the world.


"Dear Pacific-West Fastener Association,

I am writing to thank you for your generous sponsorship.   I am very excited that my hard work in school and my commitment to community service is being rewarded and recognized. I cannot express to you how much it means to me that you are helping to make my dreams come true.

Ever since I was little, I’ve always wanted to be an Engineer, even if I didn’t know exactly what engineering was; the origin can be traced back to when I was five and our family took a vacation to Disney where I experienced my first ride ever, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. While I was at first excited for the ride, my excitement quickly turned to fear while on the ride and I was traumatized by it. I was never able to understand exactly why I was so afraid of the ride, so I began to research more about it. The more I researched, the more I became interested in the ride and theme parks in general. I was amazed at how careful planning, design, and ingenuity could all come together to form such immersive and exciting ride thanks to math and science. It was with this knowledge that I began to work harder and take a greater interest in these subjects. I loved the challenge of solving difficult problems, and got a satisfaction from work in these classes that I did not experience in any other subject. It was my love for problem solving that led to my desire to become an engineer, and it was my original interest in theme parks that led me to choose mechanical engineering.

Thanks in part to your sponsorship, I am able to continue to pursue my passion.  I feel confident that the University of Illinois will give me the skills and problem solving techniques I need to solve whatever problem I am presented with. The thing that I most look forward to doing with my degree is having the ability to be able to sit down, design something that can make a difference in the world, and then have the satisfaction of being able to see the production and the success of this product through.

Your scholarship will allow me to worry less about how I am going to pay for college and focus on learning and getting involved within my new community.  Since arriving at the University of Illinois I have become a member of Tau Beta Pi engineering honors fraternity and I am the president and founder of a new campus club – Engineers Valuing Innovation and Leadership – that encourages people from different engineering majors to come together and give multidisciplinary experience to other driven engineers like myself.

Once again, I would just like to express my sincere gratitude for the scholarship. I am so glad that having an education is something that means as much to you as it does to me.

Sincerely,

Bobby Baer"



Holly Wilcox has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship. She was sponsored by Pacific Coast Bolt. She just completed her freshman year at Vanguard University, in Costa Mesa, California. She is pursuing a Religion major with an emphasis on Youth Leadership. Her goal is to become a high school pastor at a church, where she can invest in the lives of high school students more than just seeing them on a Sunday morning or a bible study night.

"My name is Don Wilcox and am accepting the scholership awarded to Holly as she is currently working at a youth camp in Oklahoma.
 
I would like to thank  the Mel Kirsner Memorial Scholarship foundation for the scholership given to Holly. The money will be used to pay for her to live on campus this year."



Paul Zuradzki has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship. He was sponsored by Abbott-Interfast Corp. He just completed his junior year at Indiana University, in Bloomington, Indiana. He is pursuing a double business major in Finance and Economic Consulting. His short term goal is to become an analyst for a consulting firm, where he can design economic models to support business decision-making. His long term goal is to go through an MBA or Law program so he can solve problems related to public policy.

"Dear Pac-West Fastener Association Scholarship Committee and Board of Directors,

Thank you so much for your support and recognition. My father is a machinist and as a first-generation college student, this award means a great deal to me. Your support assists me and my family in the burden of affording my education.

My educational and career ambitions would not be possible through a combination of balancing work with academics, family, loans, and scholarships. I am grateful for your support and honored to be selected as a recipient.

Sincerely,

Paul Zuradzki"