2024 NWPA SPE Student Chapter Scholarships now awarded! These student chapter members at Penn State Behrend each were awarded $500 in December. Congratulations!
Faith Morelli – I am a senior at Penn State Behrend, pursuing my degree in Plastic Engineering Technology. Currently, in school I am working on my senior project and getting the last of my classes done for my degree. Outside of school, I have been coaching local high school and club volleyball.
I’m Michael Quinn, I am from Frankfort, New York, and my passion for engineering was ignited through CAD and projects during high school. My father has owned an injection molding company for as long as I can remember. After high school, I decided to come to Penn State Behrend where I am majoring in Plastics Engineering Technology. This decision has opened exciting opportunities such as my internship at Toyota last spring. I’m certain that a career in plastics is my calling, and I’m eager to learn as much as possible about the industry.
Troy Johnson – I recently just graduated from Penn State Behrend with an undergraduate degree in Plastics Engineering Technology. During my time at school, students were given plenty of opportunities and challenges to gain valuable experience. I did my best to take advantage of these opportunities including numerous conferences and a handful of internships. My most recent internship at Honda in Marysville, Ohio led to a full-time opportunity. I am excited to start my full-time position in early January and contribute to the plastics and manufacturing industry. I also plan on returning to school in the next few years to pursue a master’s degree in engineering management, in hopes of reaching my goal of a leadership position. Thanks again for this award and I hope to make the most of it!
Kaitlyn Ezzone is a junior at Penn State Behrend studying Plastics Engineering Technology. She is an Engineering Support Co-Op at Samtec Tool located in Erie, Pennsylvania. She specializes in the Moldflow software in which she provides support to preexisting products that are experiencing defects and recommends solutions to mend the issues. In addition, she works on new product designs in which she ensures that the design meets the requirements to maintain optimal part functionality and processing capabilities. Kaitlyn intends to continue her education to obtain a master’s degree in Sports Product Design with the goal of learning new product innovation methodologies that focus on sustainability and athletic performance. Kaitlyn is an active member in the NWPA SPE and the Plastics Club at Penn State Behrend. She intends to use this scholarship to advance the plastics industry while being conscientious of how she can make a positive impact on the world.
2024 Scholarship Recipients
NWPA SPE President Bruce Buchman awards the 2024 MEMBER SCHOLARSHIP to Jacob Lenhardt at the golf outing. Jacob is currently attending Penn State Behrend studying Business and Biology, and made the Dean’s list this semester. He works for Games Workshop in Erie and enjoys traveling with friends. Jacob’s mother, Lucy Lenhardt, has been a member of NWPA SPE since she was a student at Behrend.
Merek Jaworski received the NWPA SPE SECTION SCHOLARSHIP. Merek just graduated from Fort LeBoeuf High School and will be attending Penn State Behrend with a major in Plastics Engineering Technology this fall. I’ve been a cashier at Tops for 2 years and an intern for Beaumont Technologies since June 2024, returning after working July-August 2023. Typically, I’m stationed in the engineering department making MeltFlippers, MoldFlow simulations, and reports for simulations. The building also houses classes on injection molding and plastics with the American Injection Molding Institute or AIM. This year, I took a very helpful 2-day course on part design and I’d definitely like to take more. I’m also planning on moving around the building for experience with processing and material characterization. Outside of school and work, I enjoy cooking and baking, walks, and thrifting.
Carter Swanson received the NWPA SPE SECTION SCHOLARSHIP. Hello, my name is Carter Swanson. As a student athlete at McDowell High School, I dedicated a majority of my time to athletics and academics. I played varsity baseball and soccer and excelled academically as well. My favorite subjects are physics and math. I will be attending Ohio Northern University in the fall of 2024 to continue my baseball career and study engineering.
The NWPA SPE provides scholarships for local high school seniors in our geographical section that are interested in pursuing a degree related to the plastics industry. This can be one of many different majors at any applicable school – as long as they relate to the plastics industry.
The NWPA SPE provides a scholarship for our member’s qualified family. In order to make the scholarship more accessible and increase the number of applicants, it is now available to current college/trade school students as well as high school seniors that are children or grandchildren of our members.
Also visit the SPE National site for Foundation Scholarships