LEESBURG, Va. – For the sixth year in a row, the Women’s Industry Network (WIN) has awarded scholarships to attend NACE to the two top-scoring female winners at SkillsUSA.
This year’s recipients are Jessica Crowley, who placed third in the automotive refinishing technology category, and Kristina Shaver, who is the high scorer in the collision repair technology category. The WIN scholarship includes airfare, lodging and associated expenses, as well as a full access NACE Expo Pass provided by the Automotive Management Institute (AMI) and ASA. In addition, Crowley and Shaver will be honored at the ASA-sponsored industry awards ceremony in October. They also will receive 2012 WIN memberships.
Crowley is a native of Boise, Idaho, and entered the collision industry by enrolling in the College of Western Idaho’s Autobody and Collision Program. Following her 2012 graduation, she began working as a lead commercial painter for Wrecker Sales in Mountain Home.
“It’s the people I have met along the way that have made this never-ending journey rewarding,” said Crowley. “I wake up every morning with the question of ‘What I can do for someone else?’ and this attitude is what has propelled this trouble-maker to turn it all around and have a fulfilling career in the automotive industry.”
Crowley is currently completing her associate’s degree in applied science at the College of Western Idaho.
Shaver is a second-year collision repair student at Baker College in Flint, Mich.
“I have loved cars and working on them my whole life,” she shared. “As much as auto body repair is about returning vehicles to given specifications, it’s also an art form.”
A native of Birch Run, Mich., Shaver is currently employed at Golden Elm Dairy.
“The WIN NACE scholarship goes to the heart of WIN’s mission to support and encourage women who are entering the industry, particularly those in the technical ranks. Surrounded by our amazing WIN members, this scholarship has consistently been a wonderful way to introduce young women to the collision industry,” said Teresa Bolton, director, collision repair test development, ASE, and WIN’s Scholarship co-chair and treasurer.
For more information about WIN, go to www.womensindustrynetwork.com.
