By Becca Butler
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The SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund awarded a total of $168,000 to 61 individuals this year. This includes 50 SEMA scholarships presented to current students, and 11 loan-forgiveness awards presented to employees of SEMA-member companies.
Recipients of these scholarships are currently pursuing degrees in accounting, automotive aftermarket fields, automotive technology, biomedical engineering, business management, chemical engineering, computer and information sciences, electrical engineering, graphic design, hospitality industry, industrial arts, industrial engineering and design, marketing, mechanical engineering, multimedia journalism, petroleum engineering and sports management.
More than $2.1 million has been awarded to over 1,200 deserving students since the program's establishment in 1984. The SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund and the SEMA Loan Forgiveness Program are dedicated to fostering the next generation of automotive aftermarket industry leaders and innovators by helping them get off to a successful start in their education and automotive aftermarket career.
The online application for next year's awards will be accepted November 1, 2016, through March 1, 2017, at www.sema.org/scholarships.
For questions or additional information, contact Juliet Marshall at 909-978-6655 or email julietm@SEMA.org.
2016 SEMA Memorial Scholarship Award Winners
- Austin Hiebert, McPherson College (Top Student and Jeff Moses-Automotive Restoration Market Organization-ARMO Award Winner)
- Steve Alexander III, Georgia Institute of Technology — Bernie Karp Award
- David Beahr, West Virginia University
- Matthew Bisbee, Lake Superior College
- Joshua Bowman, Pennsylvania State University — Joe Amato Award
- Michael Bowyer, University of Michigan-Dearborn
- Skyler Brungardt, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
- Brenden Bungert, University of Minnesota Duluth — Professional Restylers Organization-PRO Award
- Spencer Clark, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Gregory Cooke, Georgia Institute of Technology — Bernie Karp Award
- Ernesto Covarrubias, California State University, Los Angeles — K&N Engineering Award
- Benjamin Curtis, Clemson University — Wheel & Tire Council-WTC Award
- Luis de Casenave, University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez
- Nicholas D'Orazio, Georgia Institute of Technology — Bernie Karp Award
- Austin Ellis, Colorado School of Mines — Emerging Trends & Technology Network-ETTN Award
- Dalton Ellis, Aims Community College
- Logan Farmer, University of Northwestern Ohio
- Matt Fuka, University of North Dakota
- Lael Gobble, Georgia Institute of Technology — Bernie Karp Award
- Austin Heinzerling, University of Iowa — Motorsports Parts Manufacturers Council-MPMC Award
- Ryan Henderson, Pennsylvania State University
- Benjamin Hoertnagl-Pereira, John Hopkins University
- Josey Hrbek, Kettering University
- Almambet Iskakov, Georgia Institute of Technology — Bernie Karp Award
- Arnav Jain, The University of Texas at Austin
- Alyssa Kawasaki, California State University, Long Beach — Performance Warehouse Association-PWA Award
- Conner Knepley, Western Michigan University
- Caleb Knotts, University of Northwestern Ohio — Joe Hrudka Award
- Daniel Konzelman, Northwest University
- Alyson Kuch, Spring Arbor University
- Adam Lecznar, Kettering University
- Brian Leung, San Diego City College & University of California, San Diego — Louis L. Borick Award
- Charles Mancino, Kettering University
- Gabrielle May, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
- Ian McKibben, Savannah College of Art and Design
- Summer Miller, Brookhaven College — Leo Kagan and SEMA Businesswomen's Network-SBN Award
- John Napa, College of Southern Nevada — Melvin Burton Award
- Jeremy Peterson, University of Wisconsin-Platteville
- Suong Pham, University of Houston
- Trevor Sheehan, Sr., University of Northwestern Ohio — Dan Borre Award
- Samuel Shelhoss, Clemson University — Nat Danas Award
- Sarah Spoto, University of Rochester — Mike Kunzman & Manufacturers Representative Network-MRN Award
- Spencer Steele, Bradley University — Steve Woomer Award
- Austyn Sullivan-Watson, University of Idaho — John Menzler and Hot Rod Industry Alliance-HRIA Award
- Brian Tea, The University of Texas at Austin
- Alex Van Nest, Clemson University
- Cora Veltman, Valparaiso University — Wally Parks Award
- Chase Wilderman, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
- Adreenah Wynn, University of Florida
- Bryan Yap, California State University, Long Beach — Thurston Warn Award
2016 SEMA Loan Forgiveness Award Winners
- Danielle Campbell, WeatherTech — Trudy Thompson Award
- Edward Carter, Motor State Distributing
- Daniel Dokter, General Motors
- Tate Emerson, A.R.E. Accessories — Harlan Felder and Truck and Off-Road Alliance-TORA Award
- Collin Gentry, Meyer Distributing — Performance Warehouse Association-PWA Award
- Robert Haynes, Holley Performance Products — Young Executives Network-YEN Award
- Robert Martin, Motor State Distributing — Jim A. Borre Award
- Traci Nigon, QA1 Precision Products — Performance Warehouse Association-PWA Award
- Michael Robins, Ford Performance Parts
- Angel Scharklet, Holley Performance Products
- Heather Wilson, Kahn Media — John Raffa Award