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, where more than 5,600 career and technical education students, all state contest winners, competed hands-on in 96 different trade, technical and leadership fields.
This year’s recipients are Jessica Crowley, who placed third in the automotive refinishing technology category, and Kristina Shaver, who was 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 and the Automotive Service Association.
In addition, Crowley and Shaver will be honored at the ASA-sponsored industry awards ceremony in October. They’ll also receive memberships to WIN for 2012.
Crowley is a native of Boise, Idaho and entered the collision industry by enrolling in the College of Western Idaho’s auto body and collision program. Following her 2012 graduation, she began working as the lead commercial painter for Wrecker Sales in Mountain Home.
“It’s the people I’ve met along the way who have made this neverending journey rewarding,” said Crowley. “I wake up every morning with the question, ‘What I can do for someone else?’, and this attitude is what has propelled this troublemaker 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 College of Western Idaho.
Shaver is a second-year collision repair student at Baker College in Flint, MI. “I have loved cars and working on them my whole life,” she said. “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," said Teresa Bolton, WIN’s scholarship co-chair and treasurer. "Surrounded by our amazing WIN members, this scholarship has consistently been a wonderful way to introduce young women to the collision industry.”
