FPEF Awards 20 Scholarships For Students Nationwide

The Fluid Power Educational Foundation (FPEF) awarded 20 scholarships totaling $40,000 for the 2014 school year to students pursuing fluid power technology fields of study.

“A minimum GPA, an essay, and three letters of recommendation were required from each applicant. The Board of Trustees is pleased to award these scholarships to students of such high caliber,” said Jean Knowles, CFPE, CFPS, FPEF Chair. “Our goal is to help young people enrolled in high schools, technical colleges and engineering schools pursue their interests in fluid power.”

“It is important to attract young people into the fluid power industry because in addition to the growth in new jobs, the current workforce is rapidly maturing,” Knowles said. “A recent survey conducted by the International Fluid Power Society (IFPS) shows that over 63% of its members are over the age of 45. Without a solid pipeline of experienced, certified professionals, the attrition levels will rapidly outpace the supply of new qualified workers available to fill the void.”

The top three students were selected to receive distinctive named scholarships thanks to generous corporate scholarship donations from the Richard Bardos Memorial Donation, Norgren, Inc. and Donaldson Company, Inc. The FPEF Board of Trustees congratulates all of the following students who were each awarded a $2,000 scholarship for the fall 2014 semester:

• Nathan Brace – Iowa State University – Scholarship underwritten by the Richard Bardos Memorial Donation
• David Gilbertson- Hennepin Technical College – Brooklyn Park Campus – Scholarship underwritten by Norgren, Inc.
• Tyler Hinrichs – Hennepin Technical College – Eden Prairie Campus – Scholarship underwritten by Donaldson Company, Inc.
• Roy Eckhardt – Texas A&M University
• Matthew Gavino – Hennepin Technical College – Brooklyn Park Campus
• Andrew Gilbertson – Hennepin Technical College – Brooklyn Park Campus
• Jordan Grussling – Spokane Community College
• Ivan Karpich – Hennepin Technical College – Eden Prairie Campus
• Pavel Konstantinov – Centennial College
• Tristan Larson – Minnesota West Community and Technical College
• Kristen Loso – Hennepin Technical College – Brooklyn Park Campus
• Matthew Miller – Hennepin Technical College – Brooklyn Park Campus
• Michael Nendza – Hennepin Technical College – Brooklyn Park Campus
• Dillon Paulson – Hennepin Technical College – Eden Prairie Campus
• Rhaneem Radzali – Taylors University
• Riley Samari – Alexandria Technical and Community College
• Mitchell Sotelo – Hennepin Technical College – Eden Prairie Campus
• Ryan Trenda – Hennepin Technical College – Brooklyn Park Campus
• Macmillan Venu – Hennepin Technical College – Brooklyn Park Campus
• Craig Warzeha- Hennepin Technical College – Eden Prairie Campus

The goal of the Fluid Power Educational Foundation (FPEF) is to attract as many qualified individuals as possible to the industry and provide them with the necessary education to hit the ground running in their new field.

Fluid Power Educational Foundation (FPEF)
www.fpef.org