AAMA announces 2016 scholarship winners

The scholarship award winners were announced during the 2016 AAMA Summer Conference, held June 12-15, in San Antonio. The recipients of 11 AAMA Partner Scholarships also were announced.



"AAMA is always so proud of its group of AAMA Scholarship Program winners," says Rich Walker, AAMA's president and CEO. "We are pleased to continue supporting the efforts of a new generation of leaders and to help expand their knowledge in the building industry."



The AAMA scholarship is a one-time award of $2,000. All children of employees of AAMA member companies are eligible to obtain this financial aid for higher education in pursuit of a degree in an engineering or technical field relating to the building products industry. Applicants are judged on grade point average, college entrance exam scores and a 500-word essay. Eligible candidates must be high school seniors or college students who are children of employees of AAMA member companies in good standing.



The 2016-2017 AAMA InstallationMasters 15th Anniversary Scholarship Award was awarded to Austen Zhu, an incoming freshman at the University of California, Berkeley. He will be pursuing a degree in chemical engineering or computer science, and he is looking forward to "learning about the major revelations in the building industry." His father, Bizhong Zhu, is an employee of Dow Corning Corporation, in Midland, Michigan.



The first 2016 AAMA Scholarship Award recipient is Paul Jenson, who will be a freshman at the University of North Dakota this fall. He is pursuing a degree in engineering and "is grateful to AAMA and its members for the opportunities this scholarship will provide." His father, James Jenson, works for Tecton Products, in Fargo, North Dakota.



The second recipient is Emma Dittmar, who is an incoming freshman pursuing a degree in biochemistry and chemical engineering this fall at Michigan State University. In her essay, Dittmar said she is happy to be following in her father's footsteps. Her father, Steve Altum, works for Dow Corning Corporation in Midland, Michigan.



The third recipient is Adam Sievers, an incoming freshman at Iowa State University. Sievers plans to major in mechanical engineering and says he is eager to begin his study of mechanical engineering and Spanish. His father, Bruce Sievers, is an employee of Pella Corporation in Pella, Iowa.



The fourth recipient is Emily Briese, who will be a freshman this fall at the University of Toledo, where she will pursue a degree in environmental engineering. She plans to use her degree to implement new energy resources. Her father, Bill Briese, works for GED Integrated Solutions in Twinsburg, Ohio.



The fifth recipient is Josey Burkett, who will start her sophomore year this fall at the University of Colorado – Denver. She is pursuing a degree in Architecture, with a focus on Sustainability. She says she looks forward to representing AAMA and the architectural community. Her father, Jonathan Burkett, is an employee of Sapa Extrusions in Rosemont, Illinois.



The sixth, and final, recipient is Matthew Linquist, who will start his freshman year at Montana State University in the fall. He will pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. His father, Philip Linquist, works for JELD-WEN in Oceanside, California.



The 11 AAMA Partner Scholarship recipients are as follows:



* Dominique Fortunato, winner of a scholarship from Graham Architectural Products



* Cody Zerby, winner of a scholarship from MI Windows and Doors



* Cassandra Faber, Rachel Henson and Adriella Rico, winners of scholarships from Milgard Manufacturing



* Daniela Martinez, winner of a scholarship from PGT Industries



* Kendra Bond, Athena Frey, Gina Mehringer and Robert Gunderson, winners of a scholarship from Quanex Building Products



* Arianna Toth, winner of a scholarship from VEKA





For more information, visit the AAMA Scholarship Program web page or contact Lorraine Zimak, AAMA's association services assistant. Videos of the AAMA Scholarship Award winners accepting their awards can be found on AAMA's YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/AAMAVideoChannel/videos, along with videos of past winners.



More information about AAMA and its activities can be found via the AAMA Media Relations page or on the http://www.aamanet.org.



AAMA is the source of performance standards, product certification and educational programs for the fenestration industry.



Caption: Company representatives from left to right: Joe Hayden (Pella), Robb Plagemann (Tecton Products), Kelly Broker (Dow Corning), Ray Garries (MI Windows and Doors), Steve Altum (Dow Corning), Phil Linquist (JELD-WEN), Scott Condreay (Sapa Extrusions) and Tim McGlinchy (GED Integrated Solutions).