2006 winners of the ConstructMyFuture.com Scholarship

Throughout my life, I have dreamt of the day I would move off to college. A day filled with excitement, yet unease from leaving the ordinary. That day is so close now; I have been destined to go to college and I welcome the challenges that may come with the experience.

I hope to obtain a Civil Engineering degree from the University of Texas at Austin. This prestigious Engineering school will give me an advantage when entering into the work force. Completing a Bachelors of Science is essential to my future because of increasing competitive nature within the work force and my personal confidence and goals are dependent on becoming an educated professional.

While receiving an undergraduate education, I hope to absorb any and all information pertaining to my future engineering career. After obtaining my undergraduate degree I hope to continue to graduate school to study Project Management and Construction Engineering as my specialization. Preparing for a management position through education will allow me to build my leadership and guidance abilities so I may influence and direct myself and other employees toward creating innovative, efficient engineering designs. I have always been curious about the vast size and intricate designs of our society's infrastructure and following this career path will allow me to expand my knowledge and creativity. With these certifications, I hope to become part of a prominent Construction Engineering firm where I can obtain a managerial title and lead resourceful construction projects.

I aspire to break the traditional gender bias within this field and become one of the most successful women engineers of my time. Creating a original, beneficial engineering designs is one of my professional goals. Whether I create a modern highway system, or perhaps even a pioneering airport transportation structure, my sole objective of the project will be to improve the quality and efficiency of everyday life. I hope my knowledge and talent in this field will benefit society by creating a more advanced, reliable, and resilient infrastructure that will assist generations to come.

My mother has always been by my side urging me to do well in school and to strive for my best. I believe that my hard work and dedication to my studies has earned me a place within the collegiate world. I have begun to build my own life through job experiences and education, so I may be prepared for my future endeavors.

I was offered my first job at the age of 16 as a teller for Washington Mutual Bank. Here, I was entrusted with major responsibilities most teenagers are usually not given. After spending one year learning about the banking industry, I was motivated to search for a position that would combine my abilities and dreams for the future.

Today, I am employed by Universities Space Research Association, a contractor for NASA. I hold extraordinary pride in my position as a student intern in the Student Programs for Achievement in Careers and Education (SPACE) program. I was chosen from more than 100 students interviewed to be the one student to hold the position in the Education Programs Office, the sole facilitator of the SPACE program, where I help support the SPACE program.

I have strived to achieve many things in my life regardless of any personal obstacles. I am the editor of The Lariat, my school newspaper, where I prepare a newspaper for print while mentoring students in their journalistic studies. I am also in AP Calculus BC, which shows the balance of my scholastic aptitudes. The analytical and methodical nature of the subject has inspired me to obtain superior knowledge in this area so I may be prepared for my future technical career path.

In addition to being in the top 10% of my class, I have been named as an AP Scholar for excellent scores on multiple AP tests, as well as being inducted into the National Honor Society and French National Honor Society

I have recently become interested in volunteering after devastating hurricanes hit the southern states late last year. I dedicated time at a Salvation Army relief center where I took applications for people in need, handed out canned food, and even cared for young children in a nursery while their parents received aide. Throughout the time I spent at the center, I was awakened to the true pleasure one can gain from helping others.

I hope that my life experiences thus far will enhance my journey through engineering school. I have been dealt tough situations, but they have not hindered me. I now have higher expectations of myself for the future that I might not have otherwise discovered. With these experiences, with excellent grades, with fundamental internships and with an enthusiastic attitude, I know I will be a dynamic, constructive, and valuable contributor to my community throughout my life.

Donald Osborn's essay

I am an eighteen year old high school senior who is seeking to pursue a lifelong dream of being employed in the construction field. My goal is to attend a post-secondary training school and earn a certificate or degree as a heavy equipment operator. I would eventually like to learn the business end of construction and look into the possibility of someday operating my own business.

As early as I can remember, I started a collection of tractors and Tonka trucks. I had a sandbox full of trucks, backhoes, skid loaders, road graders, and excavators. I would pretend to be a construction worker using all of this equipment. By the time I was eleven years old, I was operating my dads riding mower. I enjoyed helping him around the house working on remodeling projects and repairs. At that time, I knew my career goal would be to achieve a career in the construction field. Through the help of family and friends, I was fortunate to have had hands-on experience in many aspects of the construction field.

I am a student at Conemaugh Valley High School enrolled in the welding program at Admiral Perry Vo-Tech. The instructor is very good and taught me a lot about welding. In my senior year, I was placed in the co-op program and was able to do on-the-job training. The instructor feels that a background in welding will be an asset when getting a job as a heavy equipment operator. I attend welding class on Mondays and work the rest of the week at Johnstown Welding and Fabrication Corp. I have also worked for this company for two summers. It is here that I have achieved a certificate in forklift operation.

As a requirement for graduation at Conemaugh Valley High School, each student must complete a culminating project of his or her choice which consists of a four page report and a speech with visual aids. For my project, I constructed an outside 12' x 16' deck off of an existing small concrete porch. I built the frame with treated lumber and used composite decking for the floor boards. When I was ready for the railing, I decided to use locust posts to obtain a more rustic look. Upon completion of the project, I did a presentation to a panel of teachers and students using visual aids that consisted of photographs and a step-by-step video of me building the deck. It was a gratifying experience and I couldn't have been more proud.

Being only eighteen years old, I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work for the past two years at a variety of jobs, gaining a different experience from each one.

• I worked with a friend of our family who has a contracting business, helping him put roofs on homes and remodeling work.
• I worked as a guide on a big game reserve.
• For two summers, I worked for a woman helping her with landscaping projects.
• I worked with a neighbor who has his own landscaping business performing jobs such as grass cutting, using push and power mowers, landscaping work, and snow plowing. To perform these tasks, I used chain saws, gas powered hedge trimmers, blowers, rock hounds, power brooms, and tree trimmers.
• In the summer of 2004, I worked for McClure & Johnston, a building supply company. Working in the stock room and loading trucks, I gained quite a bit of knowledge of building products.
• I am currently in the co-op program at school, working four hours, four days a week at Johnstown Welding & Fabrication. I am currently welding baskets for JLG lifts.
• I have had the opportunity to work with a neighbor who owns his own excavating business. I helped him with jobs such as digging ditches, leveling dirt, and driving a dump truck. I also enjoyed the times when I worked on the maintenance and repair of construction equipment changing fluids, changing out hydraulic hoses, changing transmission fluid, air and oil filters and general maintenance.
• I plow my neighbor's driveways, as well as my own, with a skid loader or a plow that I attached to my quad or I use a snow blower.
• My aunt works at a power plant driving a bulldozer. On several occasions, she would take me to her work site on her days off and showed me how to operate a CAT D11 dozer to push coal. It was a great experience.

Steven Swartz's essay

After four years of technical education classes at my high school, I have gained a very strong interest in the construction industry. The classes I have taken include Beginner Welding, Advanced Metals, two years of Consortium Welding, and two years of Building Trades. I am now a second year student in both the Welding and Building trades consortium programs, and therefore, have had the opportunity to perfect and fine tune many skills learned in the previous years.

I enjoy residential building because I can see the physical progress as it is being made. From rough framing to finish carpentry, including electrical, heating/cooling, dry wall and siding, it has been a very rewarding process to be a part of. Although I enjoy my building trades program, it is welding that has come most easily for me, and that is why I am more drawn to that.

My welding skills include many welding processes (SMAW, GMAW, GTAW and OAW), as well as cutting and brazing in various positions (overhead, vertical, horizontal and flat). I am currently preparing to take the American Welding Society certification test at the end of this school year. The test piece that I am practicing on will prepare me for all welding joints in all positions. I have also used my welding skills to repair tools for my building trades instructor on occasion, and to repair the wheelchair of my neighbor. I enjoy the many different ways that welding is useful in our lives.

Last year, as a junior, and in my first year of Building Trades, I received the "Outstanding Student Award" and was selected from a group of all first and second year students in the program. It is my personal goal this year to receive this same award in the Welding program. I am currently the class representative for building Trades and serve on the Student Council. I am on the honor roll at my high school and a second year member of Skills USA.

Throughout my high school years, I have acquired great respect and a strong interest for all areas of the construction industry, and I plan to be a part of it in the near future. We are fortunate that Washtenaw Community College is nearby, and I will be enrolling in their highly respected Applied Science in Welding Associate Degree program in the fall. I am also planning to pursue apprenticeship opportunities locally when I have reached the minimum age requirement.

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