After working with a team of judges to review more than 400 entries for its second annual The Passion That Drives You scholarship contest, Honeywell’s Friction Materials team is pleased to announce the final eight winners, all of whom will receive a $2,500 scholarship paid directly to their school of choice.
• Dan Wycklendt, Naperville, IL, College of DuPage
• Nathan Maas, Houston, TX, School of Automotive Machinists
• Robert McGhee, Merced, CA, Merced College
• Helena Edison, Columbus, OH, Columbus State Community College
• Stetson Castillo, Houston, TX, Universal Technical Institute
• Dana Kaplan, San Francisco, CA, Skyline College
• Adrian Purnell, Lima, OH, University of Northwestern Ohio
• Andrew Watkins-Blackshear, San Diego, CA, Miramar Community College
In addition, Dan Wycklendt was named the Grand Prize Winner for securing the most online votes and achieving the highest essay score. He will be receiving an all-expenses paid trip for two to the O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals in July.
“We are incredibly pleased by the response this program has garnered in its second year,” said Jim Kelley, director of sales, North America for Friction Materials LLC. “Nearly 400 young men and women took the time to write an essay about their life-long passion for cars and why they want to turn that passion into a career.”
The scholarship promotion – which ran from Oct. 4, 2010 to Nov. 30, 2010 – asked participants to complete an online form, respond to an essay question and upload a photo that showcased their passion for the automotive industry. This year’s contest also featured an online voting component – and more than 4,000 total votes were secured for participants.
The essays were judged by a panel of industry peers, including editors from leading automotive media as well as a specially selected national career tech school teacher. All bias content was removed prior to judging.
“Our judges said it was very difficult to rank the winners – there were so many personal, heartfelt stories about why people are pursuing this as a career,” said Kelley. “We would like to thank all of the contest entrants and judges for their time, and we look forward to another successful program in 2011.”
Friction Materials LLC, a business unit of Honeywell International Inc., is headquartered in Glinde, Germany. Serving both original equipment and aftermarket customers, products offered include Bendix and Jurid friction materials and hard parts. As a leader in braking technology since 1924, the Bendix brand continues to be recognized around the world for quality, performance and value. The brand has a proven track record of supplying premium products to its aftermarket customers. For more information, log on to www.bendixbrakes.com.