Devin Herman and Luis Rios, students at Bollman Tech in Thornton, have been named as recipients of a mikeroweWORKS Foundation scholarship to attend the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Kansas City, Mo., June 23-27. Mike Rowe, former host of the Discovery Channel’s popular series Dirty Jobs, created the foundation in 2008 to, in his words, “give something back and challenge the prevailing definition of a ‘good job.’ For decades, we have put a premium on a four-year degree, and told an entire generation that trade schools and skilled labor are alternatives to higher education. Hyperbole aside, the skills gap is real. Our infrastructure is crumbling. And our country is scrambling to put itself back together.”
The scholarship provides support for SkillsUSA state contest winners who have insufficient personal resources to participate in the 2014 National SkillsUSA Championships. Fifty $1,000 scholarships were awarded to help offset the costs of travel and to participate in the National SkillsUSA Championships. The winners will also have the opportunity to attend a luncheon with a member of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation staff during the conference.
This is the fourth year the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, in partnership with SkillsUSA, has offered the scholarship opportunity. The scholarship is awarded based on a student-written narrative describing the need for the scholarship and lack of school or community resources. The goal of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation is to make contributions to other 501(c)(3) organizations that give to and support the trades. For more information, click here.
Congratulations Devin and Luis!