HISTORY OF PWC’S SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

~ by Karen Pontius, PWC Scholarship Chair

The PWC Scholarship fund has grown consistently, with help from your donations and those of our sponsors. Check out our successes!!

2002: $2,500 went to four recipients: all daughters of PWC members.

2003: $3,000 went to four recipients: one to a son of a PWC member, the other three to women enrolled in CTI schools.

2004: $4,000 went to seven recipients: PWC member Kathy Lemke; Christina Mulka, the daughter of member Donna Mulka; Matthew Paul McLelland, spouse of member Kolette McLelland; and four to women enrolled in CTI schools: Yaneysi Merchan Vargas, Jessica Hernandez Cordero,Nicole Buffington, and Tina Marie Conover.

2005: $6,218 went to six recipients: member Denise Mason; Terica Black, daughter of member Joyce Black; Heather Leung-VanHassel, daughter of member Yvonne Leung; Jennifer Day, daughter of member Kerry Rose; and two CTI students, Stephanie Drews and Kari Bentz. This year was the first time we received scholarship donations from our corporate sponsors GEICO and DISC, sales of the blue 'Maggie' bear kicked in some, and the Scholarship Quilt Project added over $700!

2006: $9,400 went to eleven recipients: member Dawn Owens, member Ron McAuley, Janelle Grace, daughter of member Lauren Grace, Kristin Brickley, daughter of member Lisa Brickley, member and past PWC President Patricia Swenor, and CTI students Jill Day, Lauren Flatt, Melissa Andresen, and Stephanie Nutt. Again we received support from GEICO and DISC, and the National Conference Committee contributed $1,000 from combined Corporate Sponsors. The blue 'Maggie' bear helped, and the Scholarship Quilt(s) Project added over $800!

2007: $9,700 went to seven recipients: Katherine Brickley, the daughter of PWC members Bob and Lisa Brickley, Amy Cloutier, the daughter of member Kimberly Cloutier, Julianne Menassian, the daughter of member Anne Menassian, Alan Rush III, the son of member Robin Rush, Robert Johnson Jr., the son of member Robert Johnson, and Hannah Dekker, at Daniel Webster CTI in NH. The newly established Jacqueline Smith Burdette Career in Aviation Scholarship was awarded to PWC member Norma Ely. We received generous contributions from our corporate sponsors, GEICO and DISC, and this year CSC (Computer Sciences Corporation) joined them.

2008: $8,000 went to four recipients: Aimee Chase, daughter of PWC member Nathan Chase; the Jacqueline Smith Burdette Career in Aviation Scholarship was awarded to Amanda Sullivan at Purdue, IN CTI; the Herman J. Lyons Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Trisha Cummings, at Mt. San Antonio College, CA CTI. The newly established Margaret Hoffman PWC Scholarship for Women in Air Traffic Control was awarded to Crystal Massey, at Northern California Combined TRACON (NCT). Again we received generous contributions from our corporate sponsors: GEICO,DISC, CSC and some combined support from all the sponsors of our conference.

2009: $9,500 went to seven recipients: Logan Gerber-Chavez, daughter of PWC member Cindy Gerber-Chavez; Lucia Augusta Povinelli, daughter of PWC member Linda Dohrenwend; Nicole M. Zibolski, daughter of PWC Member Karen Zibolski; Joshua A. Santiago, the son of PWC member Athina Santiago, won the Jacqueline Smith Burdette Career in Aviation Scholarship; Catherine Janis and Shyan Nikol Lasater won PWC Recruitment Scholarships; and Robin Rush won the Margaret Hoffman PWC Scholarship for Women in Air Traffic Control Scholarship.

2010: $8,000 went to eleven recipients: Pilot Rosely Netrefa won the Jacqueline Smith Burdette Career in Aviation Scholarship; PWC’s Nat’l Conference Chair, Rose Merchant-Bennett, won the Herman J. Lyons Memorial Scholarship; Lauren Vala receives a Recruitment Scholarship; and eight member scholarships: Paul Lore;Shoshana Frank;Aimee Chase, daughter of Nathan Chase; Trisha Cummings; Christine Dow; Tami Gibbs; Brittany Majewski; and Jennifer Sloane.

2011: $7,500 went to four recipients: Nathan Zibolski, son of PWC member Karen Zibolski; PWC member NancyThompson won the Margaret Hoffman PWC Scholarship; Purdue student Dekiyra Love won the Jacqueline Smith Burdette Career in Aviation Scholarship; and CTI student Sara Baty won a PWC Recruitment Scholarship.

You can donate to the PWC Scholarship Fund at the address below. PWC is an(Internal Revenue Code) IRC 501(c)(6) tax-exempt corporation; ask your tax attorney for more information. Your donations will have a major impact on the educations of our members, their family members, and women training to become the next generation of Air Traffic Controllers! Make checks payable to "PWC Scholarship Fund;" send them to: Professional Women Controllers, Inc. P.O. Box 950085, Oklahoma City, OK 73195-0085

Next application season begins October 1st, 2011. Information and forms are on our website,