Celebrating Success: High Plains Technology Center's Amanda Mead Receives Mike Rowe "Work Ethic Scholarship"
We're thrilled to announce that Amanda Mead, one of our Construction students, has been awarded the Mike Rowe "Work Ethic Scholarship." We are proud of Amanda for her strong work ethic and commitment to developing her skills at HPTC. Amanda is a second-year adult student in the HPTC Construction Trades Program.
Amanda went through the rigorous application process for the Work Ethic Scholarship, including a series of short essays about the meaning of “work ethic”. She also created a video essay explaining her personal and professional goals. Her responses and qualifications caught the eye of Rowe, a TV personality and commentator best known for hosting “Dirty Jobs” on the Discovery Channel. For years, Rowe has advocated for skilled trades education and financial assistance that can help students graduate with in-demand skills and less debt.
124 recipients were selected from all across the United States totaling $675,000 in scholarship dollars. Amanda is the only recipient of the scholarship enrolled in an Oklahoma CareerTech program.
“The Mike Rowe WORKS “Work Ethic Scholarship” assists those individuals who are not bound for a four-year university. I have nothing against four-year schools, but from what I can tell, our country is not suffering today from a dearth of four-year degrees – we’re suffering from the growing scarcity of skilled tradespeople. Last I checked, the number of skilled workers leaving the workforce was nearly three times the number who entered. That math is very bad news for all of us, and this program is designed to train those individuals who want to join the next generation of skilled workers. We’re on a mission to help close the skills gap by challenging the stigmas and stereotypes that discourage people from pursuing the millions of available jobs. We’re redefining the definition of a good education and a good job, because we don’t think a four-year degree is the best path for most people. We want people to understand the impact of skilled labor on their lives, and we’re convinced that the solution has to start with a new appreciation for hard work.” said Mike Rowe.
Pake Carlson, the HPTC Construction Trades Instructor, shared the following comment about Amanda: “Amanda has from day one been excited about construction. She is a hard worker and you can guarantee that her work will be flawless when complete. She puts her heart and soul into every project and the results speak for themselves.”
Amanda shared the following comment about HPTC: “I honestly can't say enough wonderful things about HPTC, Pake Carlson, and my construction class! The atmosphere on campus is positive and the entire staff is willing to go above and beyond to help each and every student, no matter the age, become better people with endless opportunities! I'm sad it's only a two-year program, I'm grateful for all the knowledge and skills I've gained and can't wait to start working!"
We're extremely proud of Amanda and grateful that she's chosen HPTC to further her education.
To learn more about the Mike Rowe WORKS program visit the following link: https://mikeroweworks.org/about/
State Director of CareerTech, Brent Haken, shared about Amanda’s scholarship in his director memo which you can find linked here!
