Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance names 30 scholarship winners

Aug. 3, 2015

The Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance (AAPA) announced July 31 that 30 students have been selected to receive the 2015 Advancing the Aftermarket and General College Scholarship.

The Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance (AAPA) announced July 31 that 30 students have been selected to receive the 2015 Advancing the Aftermarket and General College Scholarship. These 30 students were selected from a pool of more than 150 applications nationwide.

Since 2001, AAPA has awarded scholarships to deserving students pursuing a post-high school education. Each recipient will receive a $1,500 scholarship to help offset the expense of attending a college, university or trade school of their choice. Since the program’s inception, more than $350,000 has been awarded to students throughout the U.S.

Among the 30 scholarship recipients is Alex Gonzalez, the winner of the Frank V. Maggio Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship is given to a deserving student to commemorate the life of Frank Maggio and to continue his legacy of honesty, trustworthiness and his continual pursuit of excellence through education. Maggio was an employee of Auto-Wares Inc. and believed that partnering with his customers would lead to their ultimate mutual success. Auto-Wares Inc. is proud to sponsor this scholarship with an additional $1,000 that will assist Gonzalez in his pursuit of studying automotive technology at Grand Rapids Community College.

Fifteen of the scholarship recipients are students who have chosen a career path within the automotive aftermarket. The 2015 Advancing the Aftermarket scholarship winners are:

• Alex Gonzalez — Holland, Michigan

• Nicholas Ozgar — Phillipsburg, New Jersey

• Sedrick Hatfield — Olathe, Kansas

• Sarah K. Wilkerson — Santa Barbara, California

• Kyle Van Tassel — Hamburg, New Jersey

• Casey Daniel Karsten — Manning, Iowa

• Jacob Koch — Batesville, Indiana

• Dylan Hengesteg — Northwood, Iowa

• Zachary Carey — New Windsor, New York

• Cynthia Jones — Tyler, Texas

• Kyle McDonald — Franklin, Tennessee

• Gunnar Dockan — Yorkville, Illinois

• Arturo J. Rodriguez — Marine City, Michigan

• Elizabeth Niemi — Howell, Michigan

• Emily Farrell — Newtown, Pennsylvania

The remaining 15 scholarship recipients are students who are employed or have parents employed by an AAPA affiliated warehouse, parts store or certified service center. The 2015 General College Scholarship winners are:

• McCaela Soper — Medford, Oklahoma

• Mariah Beikman — St. Francis, Kansas

• Austin Evans — Westerville, Ohio

• Nick Laing — Humboldt, Iowa

• Ariel Riley — Alburtis, Pennsylvania

• Troy Holstad — Jenison, Michigan

• Derek Eilert — Morrice, Michigan

• Samantha Love Still — Hope, Arizona

• Brittney Moore — Chatham, Michigan

• Harleigh Aldridge — Star City, Arizona

• Jordan Kempf — Fremont, Wisconsin

• Garrett Hefter — Allenton, Wisconsin