Gateway Student First Recipient Of VonLehman Manufacturing Scholarship

Brian Wardia of Erlanger, a second-year student at Gateway Community & Technical College, is the first recipient of the VonLehman Scholarship in Advanced Manufacturing.

VonLehman Company, an accounting, tax and advisory firm with offices in Fort Mitchell, Ky., Cincinnati, and Indianapolis, established the scholarship for Gateway students this past fall. Wardia's selection was announced recently at a Partners for Industry breakfast co-sponsored by VonLehman and Gateway.

Wardia credits the scholarship with enabling him to continue his path toward an advanced manufacturing degree at Gateway. I wasn't sure if it would be feasible to begin another semester this spring due to current financial struggles, but the scholarship reminds me never to give up, he said. By receiving this scholarship, I am able to concentrate on what is important, my education. I hope one day I will be able to help other students achieve their goal just as [this scholarship] has helped me.

The VonLehman Scholarship in Advanced Manufacturing will be awarded on a semester-by-semester basis, beginning in Fall 2014 through the Spring 2016 semester. To be eligible for the $750 per semester award, students must be enrolled full-time as an advanced manufacturing major and must have and maintain a grade point average of 2.5 or higher.

Wardia plans to use his advanced manufacturing credential to follow a career path not otherwise possible, he said.

Scholarships make a huge difference to our students, said Laura Kroeger, Gateway vice president of resource development and external affairs. The college deeply appreciates the opportunities available to our students thanks to the generosity of our donors.