CHICAGO -- The Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) Scholarship Committee has announced the awarding of scholarships to 154 students in 2007. The $1,000 scholarships represent 142 students in the U.S., and 12 in Canada. The announcement was made last week during the 2007 Symposium at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare near Chicago.
“I was very pleased with the over the 350 applications we received, and the quality of scholarship applicants,” said Pete Kornafel, chair, GAAS Scholarship Committee. “The GAAS Scholarship Committee of more than 20 volunteers did a masterful job of reviewing all those applications and selecting this year’s recipients.”
Kornafel notes that this year’s selection process included a new collaborative effort with the Breslow Foundation and with APSA, the wholesaler association headquartered in Texas that represents nine southwestern states.
“We were able to pool all applications from these groups allowing APSA, Breslow Foundation, and GAAS to each make their own selections by reviewing applicants who met their unique requirements and criteria,” said Kornafel.
The awards included GAAS Scholarships funded by donations from the University of the Aftermarket Foundation, ASC Industries, and R.L. Polk & Company.
“This year’s pooling of resources opens the door for http://www.automotivescholarships.com to become a website where a student can be considered for several automotive scholarships by submitting just one application,” said Kornafel. “This is a great new service for students, and improves their opportunity to get financial help for training to enter our industry. I hope other organizations who provide scholarships for the aftermarket will consider joining this new flexible and collaborative effort.”
To be eligible for a GAAS scholarship, applicants must be enrolled full-time in a college-level program or an ASE/NATEF (National Automotive Technician Education Foundation) certified automotive technical program. Graduate programs and part-time undergraduate programs do not qualify.
The GAAS scholarship also is unique in that recipients who graduate from their program and show proof of employment as a technician in the automotive aftermarket for at least six months after graduation can receive a second matching grant
GAAS Scholarship applications for 2008 will be available online at http://www.automotivescholarships.com beginning in September The deadline for submitting 2008 scholarship applications is Monday, March 31, 2008.
The annual investment to help develop future aftermarket industry leaders is primarily funded through proceeds from the annual Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium. This two-day program brings together numerous industry executives and examines the issues and trends affecting the automotive aftermarket industry and influencing its future. GAAS has become the aftermarket's premier educational conference. The 2008 event is set for Tuesday and Wednesday, May 20-21, at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Chicago.
Additional scholarship funding comes from industry contributions from individuals, companies and foundations. Contributions can be made to the GAAS Scholarship Fund, c/o Susan Medick at AAIA, at 301-654-6664, or susan.medick@aftermarket.org.
