ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Association of Women Contractors (AWC) awarded $10,000 for educational scholarships to 10 female students pursuing careers in the construction industry.

“AWC is committed to strengthening the community by providing substantial scholarship money to women in higher education or apprenticeships who are seeking construction industry-related degrees and experience,” stated the association.

The scholarships were presented at the Annual Scholarship and Awards Celebration. “It’s a pleasure to be able to award our largest amount of scholarships to date,” said Barb Christensen, executive director of AWC. “Given the tough economic times, I really want to salute our membership for their commitment to helping the next generation of women leaders in the construction industry.”

Each scholar received a $1,000 scholarship to help defray the cost of college or trade school. Recipients include: Christine Adamietz, Sydney Autry, Kelsey Bruning, Tansey Cregan, Shirley Hu, Brenna Luck, Samantha Randby, Crystal Rinkenberger, Maria Ustaralkova, and Natasha Bergeson.

Since 2001, AWC has awarded scholarships to women attending college, technical, or trade school in construction-related fields, such as skilled trades, engineering, architecture, and construction management. Including this year’s scholarships, the AWC has granted $49,000 to women pursuing careers in the construction field.

For more information, visit www.awcmn.org.

Publication date: 06/22/2009