2005 winners of the ConstructMyFuture.com Scholarship

Ever since I was little I liked to work with my hands, I knew my future would not be at a job sitting behind a desk all day. In ninth and tenth grade I took Construction Technology, I was on the honor roll and voted student of the quarter at Vo-tech. I liked accomplishing a well-built project. I worked a summer with "Henry's Construction Company" building additions and renovating homes. It was hard, but rewarding work, which gave me an appreciation for the construction industry.

I knew I liked the construction, but I also grew up helping my Dad with diesel engines on farm equipment and was told I had a talent working with engines. This lead me to take Diesel technology my junior and senior year, I remained on the honor roll and received "Student of the Quarter" both years. I worked a summer for Groff (a heavy equipment company) setting up, troubleshooting and repairing equipment. I then made the decision to go to Penn Tech for Heavy Construction Equipment Technician. I never thought I was college material but my Vo-tech. teachers, co-workers and parents convinced [me] and I have a semester in already.

After graduation I hope to work for a construction equipment company on a mobile unit going out to the site troubleshooting and quickly getting the equipment back to work. Eventually, I hope to take further courses to specialize in welding repairs-I have been told there is a need in this specialty.

I feel with my tendency toward perfection in my work, my strong work ethic, and my educational background in hands-on construction and diesel technology that I will be an asset to the Construction Industry!

Ethel Chan's essay

The construction industry has no comparison in the tangibility and practicality of its end product. For one of the biggest industries in the world, there's something to be said that there are so many people who are still seeking work in that field.

I believe that the labor force in the construction industry represents a group of artisans in the most traditional sense - the artists and sculptors of old weren't just creating stand alone pieces, but rather, columns and friezes… any History of Architecture course starts with a survey of ancient Mesopotamian and Greek cultures. As Henry Longfellow said, "Ah, to build, to build! That is the noblest of all the arts."

I have always been interested and passionate about building. It's a level playing field, male or female, given the right skills and proper equipment and tools. I love that you can watch the progress of something being built, and know exactly your part in its completion, whether it be on paper, or hammering the nails in the wood.

I have worked as a carpenter's apprentice before - not in any sort of structured union environment, just as a helper in a small woodshop in southwestern Virginia. However, it did give me insight into the workings of a small mom and pop independent contractor. But more importantly, there was no greater satisfaction than watching a particular piece of furniture come together, or watching the miles (literally!) of crown moulding that we made from scratch - dried in a kiln, ripped, planed, and shaped.

I am currently completing my Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Engineering Technology. Concurrently, I am enrolled in the MS/BS option, taking as many graduate courses as I can. After I complete my BS degree, I am hoping to be admitted to graduate school and finish a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering, specializing in Construction Management. I am excited for the plans I have before me. I am proud of where I am going and that I have the ability to get there.

After I complete my education, I expect that I start off working in some sort of pre-construction, such as cost estimating, take-offs, scheduling, bid work, etc… If possible, I would like the option of working in the field to gain practical insight and experience. Eventually, I would like to work up to project management.

Drew Thelen's essay

I will attend the University of Wisconsin-Stout in the fall of 2005, and major in Construction Management. I have been a member of the work-force for several years now, gaining experience in the concrete and farming industries as well as in other capacities. In the construction field, I have worked for Swederski Concrete Construction, Inc. for 2 years as a shop laborer, which included maintaining and repairing heavy equipment as well as documenting and tracking fuel and equipment usage. This past summer I was employed as a pit crew member for my family's construction business, Thelen Sand and Gravel, where my duties included setting concrete forms, pouring concrete, pit maintenance, and just about everything else it took to complete the jobs. I have been working my family's fields for many growing seasons, and am an "old hand" when it comes to raising livestock. For the last eight years I have been the primary caretaker of the 15 swine we raise annually, and have assisted with the raising of our beef cattle. I have also worked in the equipment rental department of the local ski resort, Wilmot Mountain, and this year I am employed in the ski shop department. I have experience as a stock boy at a local restaurant, the International House of Wine and Cheese.

Athletics have been a major part of my life thus far, as they are for many small-town Wisconsin boys, and I have gained many valuable life skills along the way. As a four-year member of my highs school's conference-champion football and state-champion baseball programs, I have learned the value of teamwork and trust, and I feel confident that I can apply that knowledge to the "real world" that awaits me after college. As a member of a club hockey program for nine years, I have learned the value of perseverance and maintaining commitments, and I have been able to transfer those life-skills to other aspects of my life as well.

I am a second-year active member of the National Honor Society at my school, and I spending my senior year on the organization's executive committee. I was nominated to become part of this organization by faculty and staff at the school based on the traits of scholarship, leadership, character, and service. Aside from NHS, I a member of a mentoring program called Link Crew that helps the incoming freshman class become acclimated to their new environments.

Community service has become an increasingly large part of my life as I have begun to realize the impact I can have on the world around me. Besides my considerable amount of service with the NHS, I have served as President of the Community Clovers and Gophers 4-H Club for two years after spending one year as Secretary and 2 years as Sergeant at Arms. This past summer I was involved in a melanoma research fund raiser to benefit the American Cancer Society which raised $44,000 for the cause. I also donated time to raising money for 4-H County Scholarships as well as for our local club, and assisted with children's religious education. I also volunteered with our local youth football league and our local chamber charity auction and scholarship fundraiser.

Despite the numerous activities I have been involved in during my school years, I have been able to maintain enough gusto for my studies to place myself seventh in my class of 295 students, and am set to graduate this May with a grade point average of 3.836. I hope to continue this positive scholastic attitude throughout the next years of my educational life.

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