WDTC Foundation Scholarships

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• Alen Sigman Memorial

  • Family and friends established a scholarship for Welding students in memory of Alen Sigman, a long-time WDT welding program instructor who invested his time teaching others critical welding skills in preparation for a successful career.
  • Scholarship Award: $250.

• Beef Bucks

  • Scholarship was established by the non-profit Beef Buck Inc. to promote quality training and education for future meat cutters.
  • Scholarship Award: $1,000.

• Bert Jung Memorial

  • Bert Jung started his welding teaching career at age 50. He prided himself on having excellent students. He loved his job and students.
  • Scholarship Award: $100.

• Betty Sever Memorial

  • Family and friends established a scholarship for accounting students in memory of Betty Sever, a self-taught bookkeeper who after the 1972 flood, and being audited by the IRS, educated herself on the IRS tax laws and worked passionately for over 30 years to help people keep as much of their money as possible.
  • Scholarship Award: $300.

• Black Hills Metal Fabricators

  • The Black Hills Metal Fabricators Scholarship was established to assist AAS students pursuing a career in Welding and Fabrication.
  • Scholarship Award: $1,000.

• Bridge Scholarship

  • Passionate Abbot House volunteers established this scholarship to assist students, that have been in Foster Care, in pursuing the career goals.
  • Scholarship Award: $1,000.

• Brosz Engineering

  • The Brosz Engineering Foundation established this scholarship to assist students pursuing a career in Architectural and Engineering Technology (formerly Computer-Aided Design) or Construction Technology.
  • Scholarship Award: $1,000.

• Building Community

  • Ainsworth-Benning Construction established this scholarship to assist students pursing Construction Technology education.
  • Scholarship Award: $1,000.

• Captain Deb Cady Memorial

  • Scholarship was established in memorial of Rapid City Police Captain Deb Cady. Without intent, she was a trailblazer as the department's first female lieutenant and female captain. She served the department for 26 years while being a highly respected professional who was strong, kind, generous, and compassionate.
  • Scholarship Award: One award for an entire CJUS275 course.

• Caterpillar MineStar

  • Caterpillar established this full-ride scholarship to assists students pursing Autonomous Equipment Technician education.
  • Scholarship Award: Full ride for Autonomous Equipment Technician Program.

• Craig & Joan Uhre

  • Craig & Joan Uhre established this scholarship to assist students pursuing a career in Diesel Technology.
  • Scholarship Award: $1,000

• Crazy Horse Memorial

  • The Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation is providing several scholarships to assist Native American students with educational expenses required for study in any degree program at Western Dakota Technical College.
  • Scholarship Award: Multiple awards between $500 - $2,000.

• Dr. Kenneth Gifford Memorial

  • The Association of General Contractors supports two scholarships to assist with educational expenses required for study in Western Dakota Tech's Architectural and Engineering Technology (formerly Computer-Aided Design), Construction Technology, Electrical Trades, HVAC/R, and/or Welding Programs. Scholarships are in memory of Dr. Ken Gifford who served as the Director for Western Dakota Tech from 1987-2000.
  • Scholarship Award: $1,000 (two awards).

• eCampus Textbook Scholarship

  • Scholarship established by eCampus for Western Dakota Tech students to help reduce the material costs of attending college. Awardees receive credit in the eCampus Bookstore to use for their textbooks for the upcoming term.
  • Scholarship Award: Varies.

• EE Diers Family Scholarhip

  • EE Diers Family Scholarship was established by Cleon Diers.  The inspiration for the scholarship in his own words: My name is Cleon Diers and I have established this scholarship in honor of my parents who taught me the importance of hard work and having good character. I was born and raised on a farm in North Dakota near Dickinson. That experience plus what my parents taught me showed me what are the important aspects of a successful life. We were not rich. Many times, we had month left at the end of our money. After attending a one room school near the farm, I graduated from Dickinson High School. From there I went to Dickinson Teachers College, now called Dickinson State University in pre-engineering. The second year I went to NDSU in engineering. At NDSU I had too much fun, my grades showed it and I ran out of the money I had saved for college. So back home to DSU to become a teacher with a degree in Mathematics and minors in Physics and Industrial Arts. I was able to graduate with no debt by working part time jobs though high school and college. My work career started as a math teacher at Corona High School in Corona, CA. After two years I was promoted to department chairman. After several more years a Corona High Vice Principal got a job as a night school administrator at a community college, and he asked me if I wanted to teach a night class for him. The answer was a quick yes because I could use the extra income. It soon became apparent I really enjoyed teaching college students, but I had a problem, I didn't have a master’s degree in Math. I could not afford to quit teaching to go back to college, so how could I reach my goal of being a college teacher? The answer came when a friend noticed a program offered by a local University where you could earn a master’s degree by taking classes in the summer semester and one class each semester in the fall and spring. After three years I had my master’s degree. I was then hired as a full time Mathematics Professor at San Bernardino Valley College and twice during my tenure there I was named as Outstanding Professor. After 25 years of teaching there I retired as Professor Emeritus. My wife and I then moved to property we had purchased near Keystone ten years earlier. We sold that property in 2022 and moved to Rapid City.
  • Scholarship Award: Multiple awards between $500 - $3,000.

• Independent Insurance Agents of Rapid City Scholarship

  • Western Dakota Insurors established this scholarship for business students to inspire future business graduates to pursue careers in the insurance field and raise awareness about careers in insurance.
    
  • Scholarship Award: Multiple $500 awards

• Jean Jung Memorial

  • Jean Jung loved her career as an LPN instructor and loved her students. She prided herself in developing excellent nurses.
  • Scholarship Award: $100.

• Jim Schnaible Memorial

  • Scholarship established in 2021 to honor the life of Jim Schnaible and to continue his legacy of supporting automotive education. Jim was an instructor for the Automotive Technology Program at Western Dakota Tech (WDT) for 34 years. He retired in 2004.  During his tenure at WDT, Jim had 434 students graduate from the program.  While Jim’s passion was teaching, he was much more than a teacher to those students. He was often a counselor, mentor, and friend – guiding many of his students through challenging times and teaching life lessons with a joke and a smile.  The Jim Schnaible Memorial Scholarship is an annual, merit-based scholarship, that focuses on rewarding ambitious, driven, goal-oriented individuals with a desire to become an Automotive Technician. The Jim Schnaible Memorial Scholarship is funded by Weston and Tenise Chapman of Black Hills Tire.
  • Scholarship Award: $10,000.

• John T. Vucurevich – Nursing

  • Scholarship is possible through a grant by the John T. Vucurevich Foundation to help students in their academic path to a living wage. Scholarships are for students pursuing LPN or RN education at Western Dakota Tech.
  • Scholarship Award: Multiple awards between $1,500 – $2,500.

• John T. Vucurevich – Non-Nursing

  • Scholarship is possible through a grant by the John T. Vucurevich Foundation to help students in their academic path to a living wage. Scholarships are for students enrolled in non-Nursing programs at Western Dakota Tech pursuing their career goals.
  • Scholarship Award: Multiple awards between $1,500 – $2,500.

• Milton DeBrie Memorial

  • Scholarship was established for Paramedic students in honor of Milton DeBrie. He was the grandfather of a WDT educator. Milton had to pay his parents to replace his work on the farm he grew up on so he could become the first in his family to ever graduate high school. Milton valued education and it made such an impact on his life that he personally financially helped over 250 people attend college. He only asked that they pay it forward.
  • Scholarship Award: $500.

• Montana Dakota Utilities

  • Scholarships established by Montana-Dakota Utilities to contribute to the growth and prosperity of the community. Scholarships are for any degree seeking Western Dakota Tech student.
  • Scholarship Award: $1,250 (two awards).
    

• Myron Matusiak Memorial 

  • The scholarship was established in 2023 to honor Myron Matusiak. Myron was born in Puku, Ukrania, and lived in a displaced persons camp/concentration camp from when he was 11 until he was 22, when he and his mother escaped and came to the US. After a few years, he became a US Citizen, and soon after that, he joined the US Air Force, where he was a cook and the one-time personal chef of General Ellsworth, whom Ellsworth AFB is named after. Myron traveled to several countries during his time in the service. During his initial time here at Ellsworth in 1950, he met Delores and married. They have three children, Ronald Matusiak, Susan Brewer, and Linda Berger. Myron retired in 1968 as the NCOIC of the Ellsworth Chow Hall. Myron passed award two days before the plane hit the World Trade Center in 2001 and his wife passed away in December 2015.
  • Scholarship Award: $1,000.

• Northern Hills Disabled American Veterans

  • Scholarships established by the Disabled American Veterans - Northern Hills Chapter 11 for veterans, their spouse, and children to assist in connect with meaningful employment and participating in the American Dream their sacrifices have made possible.
  • Scholarship Award: Multiple awards of $1,000.
    

• Phle-Biz Scholarship

  • The Goldsmith Family established this scholarship to assist students pursuing a career in Business or Phlebotomy.
  • Scholarship Award: Multiple awards $500 – $1,000.

• Robbie Ludeman Memorial

  • Family and friends established a scholarship for Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement students in memory of Officer Robert Ludeman so his dreams may live on, through others who share the same desire and passion of becoming a Law Enforcement Officer.
  • Scholarship Award: $250.

• Ryan McCandless Memorial

  • The Ryan McCandless Memorial Scholarship was established by his parents in memory of Ryan, who was a Rapid City Police Officer that was killed in the line of duty, to assist with tuition expenses for a student wishing to follow in Ryan's footsteps in a profession he loved.
  • Scholarship Award: $1,000.

• Ryan Prince Memorial

  • Family and friends established a scholarship for Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement students in memory of Ryan Prince.
  • Scholarship Award: $200.

• South Dakota Dental Foundation

  • Scholarships established by the South Dakota Dental Foundation for Dental Assisting students intending to remain in South Dakota.
  • Scholarship Award: $1,000 (two awards).

• South Dakota Education Access Foundation (SDEAF)

  • Needs based scholarship is possible through a grant by the South Dakota Education Access Foundation to expand access to postsecondary education. Scholarships are for students pursuing any degree program of study at Western Dakota Tech.
  • Scholarship Award: Multiple awards of $1,000 - $2,000.

• South Dakota Sheriff’s Association

  • Scholarships established by the South Dakota Sheriff's Association for Criminal Justice and Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement students to ensure quality training and education for the law enforcement leaders of tomorrow.
  • Scholarship Award: $1,000 (two awards).

• Thomas Gaiter Foundation

  • The Thomas Gaiter Foundation established this scholarship to help meet the educational financial challenges for Native American students from the Pine Ridge Reservation.
  • Scholarship Award: $500.

• Universal Pediatrics LPN-RN

  • Universal Pediatrics established a scholarship for LPN and RN students in memory of Connie Freeman, a one-of-a-kind, caring, and compassionate nurse and businesswoman who worked passionately throughout her career to help children and families thrive in the face of adversity.
  • Scholarship Award: $1,000 (three awards).

• WDTC Faculty & Staff Scholarship

  • WDTC Faculty and Staff established this scholarship in assisting students to realize their dreams. Scholarships are for students pursuing any degree program of study at Western Dakota Technical College.
  • Scholarship Award: $500 (three awards).

• • WDTC Leadership Scholarship

    • The leadership of Western Dakota Technical College established this scholarship to assist students to realize their dreams. Scholarships are for students pursuing any degree program of study at WDTC.
    • Scholarship Award: Multiple awards of $500.

• William J. Pierce Memorial

  • Family and friends established a scholarship in memory of William J. Pierce.
  • Scholarship Award: $250.

• Zonta Club of the Black Hills for Women in Non-Traditional Fields

  • The Zonta Club of the Black Hills established this scholarship to help women overcome gender barriers to careers in traditionally male-dominated fields for those women pursuing such careers through a WDT Program.
  • Scholarship Award: $1,000.