Scholarship applications being accepted
Do you have a child or grandchild looking for some assistance paying for college? The time to act is now. Applications for the OOIDA Mary Johnston Scholarship program are due Feb. 1.
The program, established in 1998, assists the children, grandchildren and legal dependents of OOIDA members.
Each year, five scholarship recipients are selected.
Any members with children or grandchildren planning to attend a college or trade school should encourage them to apply. In addition, any truck drivers who are not OOIDA members but have kids in need of a scholarship should consider becoming a member to gain eligibility.
The applicant must be under the age of 22 as of the deadline date. However, current college students still can apply as long as they are 21 or younger.
As part of the program, one $2,000 scholarship and four $1,000 scholarships are awarded. The funds are transferred directly to the student’s selected institution and can be renewed for a total of four years. Completion of a renewal form is required to renew the scholarship, and it will be mailed to scholarship winners each year. An alternate recipient also will be selected.
To date, the program has awarded students more than $400,000 in scholarships.
“The Mary Johnston Scholarship was purposefully designed to help students who are often overlooked by traditional scholarships by opening up the program to all majors, including those associated with technical schools and not just four-year universities,” said Andrew King, a research analyst for the OOIDA Foundation.
Application information is available at OOIDA.com. All required materials, including a 500-word essay and a transcript from a high school or institution of higher learning, must be postmarked no later than Feb. 1.
The essay should cover three topics:
- List and discuss three positive aspects of the influence of the trucker in your life.
- How does your choice of an educational goal utilize the strongest attributes of your personality?
- What changes do you see down the road, in five or 10 years, that would improve the trucking industry?
The OOIDA Scholarship Advisory Committee will hold a blind evaluation to select winners, who will be notified by a letter following OOIDA’s spring board meeting.
Funds can be used for tuition or legitimate school-related expenses. Following enrollment verification, OOIDA will deposit the funds into the students’ account at the institution of their choice.
“This is always a tough competition to judge, as all their kids are winners in my book,” OOIDA Executive Vice President Lewie Pugh said. “The cool thing about the Mary Johnston Scholarship is the fact you can use it for trade schools or a four-year college.”
OOIDA members, corporate sponsors, Land Line Magazine and Owner-Operator Services Inc. are among the program contributors. To join the growing list of sponsors, contact Andrew_King@OOIDA.com or send tax-deductible donations to:
OOIDA Foundation Inc.
1 N.W. OOIDA Drive
Grain Valley, MO 64029
2023 winners
Last year’s top scholarship winner was Tadan Alvarado, the son of OOIDA member Michael Alvarado.
Tadan said the example his father set in trucking has left a lasting impact.
“My dad has always been there for me through the ups and downs,” he said. “When I was little, he had to work a lot and missed out on things to provide for us. I didn’t realize how much he did for us until I got a little older. I’m proud of all he’s done for our family.”
The other 2023 scholarship winners were Quenton C. Heisler, William Pfister, Shoshana Keim and Morgan Gilbert. LL