Two applicants for the Youngstown LMCC’s sponsored scholarship went home winners this academic year.
It’s the first time in the short history of the organization’s funding of a Youngstown State University $1,000 scholarship that it was awarded to more than one student.
“There were two candidates whose applications rose to the top and the committee felt they were both deserving,” said Jim Burgham, business manager at IBEW Local 64 in Youngstown.
The aim of the scholarship is to help fund the education of YSU students who have an affiliation with IBEW Local 64 or a signatory electrical contractor in the Mahoning Valley, with preference given to students pursuing degrees that benefit the electrical industry.
The scholarship not only rewards bright minds in the Mahoning Valley, but celebrates the partnership between IBEW Local 64 , signatory NECA contractors, the university and the YSU Foundation.
“The YSU Foundation has great business and labor organization support in the Mahoning Valley, such as NECA and the IBEW, who provide scholarships at Youngstown State University,” said Brian Nord, senior development officer, YSU Foundation. “We cannot thank these partners enough for helping students gain a college education because they may not otherwise have the means to do so.”
Kristen Thompson of Poland, who earned her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in May and is now working toward a master’s degree, was one of the winners. She also earned the LMCC scholarship in 2018. Her father, David Thompson, is a journeyman electrician represented by IBEW Local 64.
Kristen Thompson, center, is a two-time winner of the LMCC Scholarship. She’s the daughter of Lori and David Thompson, an IBEW Local 64 member.
Thompson says she appreciates the LMCC investing in her and other students’ education. The scholarship has allowed her as a first-generation college student to continue to work toward ambitious goals in the electrical engineering field.
“As a first-generation student, scholarships assisted me throughout my undergraduate career and alleviated much financial distress,” she said.
Thompson said the 2020 scholarship came at a good time. Her internship at Goodyear ended prematurely because of cost-cutting measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The other recipient was Lindsay DeLullo, a freshman geology major with a 4.0 GPA who aspires to a career in the oil and gas industry. Her family has deep ties to IBEW Local 64 with multiple generations of her family in the union.
Lindsay DeLullo is the daugher of IBEW Local 64 member and Joe Dickey Electric employee John DeLullo.
DeLullo said her father, John DeLullo, a journeyman electrician with “Joe” Dickey Electric, encouraged her to apply.
“I was proud to win because my dad is an electrician and he’s helped me financially with a good amount of my tuition,” DeLullo said.
For more information about the Mahoning Valley LMCC scholarship, click here.