Congratulations to the twenty-three students who will pursue their dreams of working in the manufacturing industry thanks to receiving a scholarship from Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs® (NBT) for the spring 2022 semester. NBT will distribute a total of $39,500 in scholarship awards, valued between $1,500 and $2,500 each, to help with students’ costs for tuition, books, and school fees.

In as few as five months, some of the scholarship recipients will graduate from their programs and be employed in full-time manufacturing careers. Employers say that can’t happen fast enough as the skilled labor shortage continues to be a challenge for the manufacturing industry. The value these talented students will bring to the industry is vital to manufacturing due to the large volume of work that is available now and in the future.

“NBT is honored to award scholarships to these gifted students while they pursue their passion to obtain rewarding careers in the manufacturing industry,” said Ed Dernulc, director of the NBT Foundation. “With majors in machine tool technology, metal fabrication technology, welding, and precision machining, these students will be prepared for the skilled labor openings that American manufacturers must fill.”

Here’s why a few NBT scholarship winners are pursuing manufacturing careers:

“I took manufacturing classes in high school and have gone to IMTS and FABTECH. After seeing how big the industry is and the many different skills and fields out there, my interest sparked. Ever since then, I want to learn as much as I can [about manufacturing]. I want to learn new skills, how to work with different types of machines, and how to make new objects.”

— Michael Petrenko, Precision Machining, Harper College, Palatine, Ill.

“A short-term goal of mine is to work for a company as a welder. My long-term goal is to start my own small business providing welding services. This career offers me opportunities to work in different industries and apply the skill set to different approaches, like steel welding, construction welding, and motorsports welding.”

— Jayden Phillips, Welding, Georgia Trade School, Acworth, Ga.

Join NBT in congratulating all the scholarship winners for the spring 2022 semester:

• Jacob Beatty, Grove City, Pa., machine tool technology at Pennsylvania College of Technology
• Sara Carey, Long Beach, Calif., mechanical engineering at California State University, Long Beach
• Nassim Chattaoui, Oshkosh, Wis., manufacturing engineering technology at Fox Valley Technical College
• John Conlin*, Fort Worth, Texas, industrial engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington
• Caleb Coots, Tioga, Pa., metal fabrication technology at Pennsylvania College of Technology
• Edgar Corona, Milwaukee, Wis., mechanical design technology at Milwaukee Area Technical College
• Nina Costa**, Sterling Heights, Mich., industrial and systems engineering at Oakland University
• Garison Frisch**, Galena, Ohio, welding technology at Hobart Institute of Welding Technology
• Christian Hansen, Madison, Wis., welding at Madison Area Technical College
• Allison Kyle, Columbus, Ohio, mechanical engineering at The Ohio State University
• Mackenzie Matheny**, Belleville, Mich., product design engineering technology at Eastern Michigan University
• Brian Mee**, Springboro, Ohio, welding engineering at The Ohio State University
• Michael Petrenko, Palatine, Ill., precision machining at Harper College
• Jayden Phillips, Marietta, Ga., welding at Georgia Trade School
• Ryan Pieri, Sheboygan, Wis., mold maker apprentice / CNC machinist at Lakeshore Technical College
• Alec Rees, Centerport, N.Y., metal fabrication technology / manufacturing engineering technology at Pennsylvania College of Technology
• Antonio Rivera, Fond du Lac, Wis., electro-mechanical automation at Lakeshore Technical College
• Jason Rivero, Northlake, Ill., mechanical design engineer at Triton College
• Collin Skiba, Williamsport, Pa., automation engineering technology: robotics and automation at Pennsylvania College of Technology
• Christian Soto*, San Antonio, Texas, aerospace engineering at Texas A&M University
• Marshall Wagner, Slinger, Wis., mechanical design technology at Moraine Park Technical College
• Marshall Walker, Sheboygan, Wis., welding fabrication technician at Lakeshore Technical College
• Tyler Willenbrink, Madison, Wis., metal fabrication at Madison Area Technical College

*U.K. Gupta Family Endowed Scholarship Recipient
**John Grossheim Memorial (OPC) Scholarship Recipient

Since 1990, NBT has awarded more than $1.2 million to over 600 students who will become the next generation of highly skilled manufacturing professionals. The application for fall 2022 scholarships will be open Jan. 1-March 31, 2022. Learn more at nbtfoundation.org/scholarships.