Tristan Schelvan is learning firsthand the challenges the trucking industry faces as he works his way through college.
“I want to use my education and experience to make an impact in the trucking industry’s future,” he said. “I want to be a part of helping change and make the trucking industry better. I have seen firsthand the issues with driver shortages and retention, the rising cost of insurance, the changing dynamics of safety and compliance, and numerous other challenges in the trucking industry.”
Schelvan is the 2021 recipient of the Thomas Welby Scholarship, worth $3,250, from the Truckload Carriers Association Scholarship Fund.
“I want the Truckload Carriers Association to know that this scholarship made a huge difference in my life. Since I am paying for college myself, this scholarship will allow me to continue to complete internships in the trucking industry without having to worry about how I will pay for school,” Schelvan added.
Like many of the recipients of TCA’s annual Scholarship Fund awards, Schelvan, who has ties to H.O. Wolding, is appreciative of the support from TCA, its member companies and supporters that for the past 48 years have annually handed out scholarships to help students afford college.
This year, the financial awards ranged from $2,725 to $6,250, and 57 undergraduate college students were recipients. The total scholarship fund for 2021 was $163,775.
To be eligible, a student must be in good standing (minimum grade point average of 3.0) and attending an accredited, four-year college or university as a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior. He or she must also be either the child, grandchild or spouse of an employee or is an employee of a TCA member company or the child, grandchild or spouse of an independent contractor or an independent contractor affiliated with a TCA member company.
Rae Ballinger and Landry Kirsling also have connections to H.O. Wolding. Ballinger received the $4,500 John Kaburick Scholarship and Kirsling, who is pursuing a triple major at Saint Mary’s University in Minnesota, was awarded the $3,250 Kai Norrris Scholarship.
“Later in the future, I hope to open my own business as I plan to have obtained majors in software development, management and entrepreneurship by spring of 2024,” Kirsling said. “I promise to work my hardest during the upcoming school year and would truly like to extend a thank you to the Truckload Carriers Association for supporting my future aspirations.”
Thomas Goble, with a connection to Central Marketing Transport, received the top scholarship award for the 2021-22 academic year, the $6,250 National Association of Independent Truckers Scholarship award.
“I am truly honored to receive the NAIT scholarship this year,” Goble said. “I have been fortunate enough to receive a scholarship from TCA every year while pursuing my bachelor’s degree and I owe much of my success to them.”
Goble said the added funds help alleviate the worries of how to pay for college.
“Every year they have generously provided me and my family greater peace of mind as we sit down and work out the cost of the following school year, which always seems to be more than the one previous,” he said. “Having their support is quite a gift and helps me ensure that I don’t have to take on additional debt to pursue my accounting degree and enter the public accounting profession after I graduate. Having the support of the TCA and knowing that its members are rooting for me is motivation enough to succeed academically. I’m blessed to be a recipient of such a supportive network.”
For Mason Jenkins, with a connection to Doug Andrus Distributing and recipient of the $3,250 Darrel Clark Wilson III Scholarship, the application process provided a chance to truly understand the role truckers and the TCA plays in the nation’s economy.
“Being awarded the 2021-22 Darrel Clark Wilson III Scholarship is a great honor. Through the application process I had the opportunity to reflect on the impact that the Truckload Carriers Association has on the world. It drives the transit for our country’s economy and I am grateful for all those that are a part of it. They are not only helping our country build and sustain itself, they are helping me through my journey at Utah State University,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins added that the scholarship is also helping achieve another goal.
“I have always had the goal to graduate from a university without the aid of student loans,” Jenkins said. “This scholarship is helping me stay on track to accomplish my goal, allowing me to focus even more on my 5- and 10-year plan.”
Winner of the Robert Low Scholarship worth $3,250, Kaitlyn McPhee, who has a connection to Prime Inc., said the scholarship shows the industry is supportive of college students.
“The Truckload Carriers Association scholarship has made a significant impact in my college experience,” she said. “Knowing that I have such a wonderful company to support not only my dad but now myself has been truly life changing. As everyone knows, college can get incredibly expensive and paying for it can become anxiety inducing. It is because of the TCA scholarship that I have been able to have the freedom to pursue opportunities that I would not have had the resources to otherwise. I have been able to get internships and pursue unpaid leadership opportunities. The financial burden of college has been eased by the generosity of the people at the TCA. I am forever grateful for your investment in my future and your belief in my goals. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Austin Wagner, with a connection to McLeod Software, was the recipient of the $3,250 Stoney Reese Stubbs Scholarship, and Abbigale Brown, whose mother works at Long Haul Trucking, was the recipient of the Robert D. Penner Scholarship worth $3,250. This year was the first time the Robert D. Penner Scholarship, named for past TCA Chairman Robert Penner, has been awarded.
The following students were awarded $2,725 scholarships:
