29 Students Awarded Scholarships at the Annual Banquet of The Builders’ Association
Kansas City, MO – Twenty-nine outstanding students received scholarships at The Builders’ Association’s 132nd Anniversary Banquet, which was held at The Westin Kansas City at Crown Center on Friday, February 22, 2019. The scholarships were funded by donations to The Builders’ Association Scholarship Foundation, a nonprofit endowment fund established to support, through scholarships, the academic education of individuals who seek careers in the commercial construction industry. Since its inception, The Builders’ Association Scholarship Foundation has awarded 325 scholarships totaling almost $850,000. The students are:
Shelby Burnworth | Missouri University of Science and Technology
JEFF AMMON MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Shelby Burnworth, a junior at Missouri S&T, will receive her B.S. degree in Civil Engineering with a minor in Business in May 2020. She is Historian of the Missouri S&T Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers and Secretary of Chi Epsilon civil engineering society. She has been an officer of Chi Omega Fraternity and is a member of the Order of Omega leadership honor society. Shelby will be a Project Engineer Intern with MMC Contractors National, Inc. in Kansas City this summer. She aspires to a career in structural engineering.
Jesus Mota | University of Central Missouri
GEORGE BETTS, JR. MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Jesus Mota, a senior at UCM, will receive his B.S. degree in Construction Management in May 2020. He is a member of the UCM Chapter of the Student Organization of Construction Managers. He was an Offensive Guard on the 2017 UCM Mules Football Team and was Football Team Captain at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, CA. He worked for a firm specializing in the construction of swimming pools and aquatic facilities last summer. He looks forward to becoming a project manager in commercial construction.
Stephany Corona | University of Nebraska–Lincoln
PATRICIA A. CARROLL SCHOLARSHIP
Stephany Corona, a sophomore at University of Nebraska–Lincoln, will receive her B.S. in Construction Management in May 2021. As a William H. Thompson Scholar, she assists new students with their academic, social, and personal transition to UNL. She is also a member of the UNL Mexican American Student Association (MASA). Stephany was President of the Culture Club at Schuyler Central High School in Nebraska. She looks forwards to becoming a project manager in residential or commercial construction.
Megan O’Leary | Missouri State University
CONSTRUCTION LEADERSHIP COUNCIL SCHOLARSHIP
Megan O’Leary, a senior at MSU, will graduate with a B.S. in Construction Management in December 2019. She is President of MSU’s Women in Construction Club and Secretary of Sigma Lambda Chi honor fraternity for construction management students. Last summer she was an Associate Project Engineer Intern with PCI (Performance Contracting Inc.) in Atlanta, Georgia. She is actively involved with Special Olympics Missouri. Megan looks forward to becoming a superintendent in commercial construction.
Nathaniel Simmons | Pittsburg State University
CONSTRUCTION LEADERSHIP COUNCIL SCHOLARSHIP
Nathaniel Simmons, a senior at Pittsburg State University, will graduate in December 2019 with a B.S. degree in Construction Engineering Technology. He was a Kauffman Scholar at Lincoln College Preparatory Academy in Kansas City. He was a high jumper and triple jumper on the PSU Track & Field team. He was a field engineer intern with McCownGordon Construction in the summer of 2018. This summer he will work for Kiewit Corporation in their South Central District. He aspires to be a general superintendent in the commercial construction industry.
Joshua D. Jackson | University of Nebraska at Omaha
V.S. DICARLO MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Joshua Jackson, a junior at UNO, will receive his B.S. degree in Construction Management in May 2020. He is a member of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization, National Society of Black Engineers, and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Last summer he was a Superintendent Intern with Kiewit Corporation on the new Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, California. He is now interning at White Lotus Group, a vertically-integrated real estate development firm. Joshua looks forward to a career in commercial construction and hopes to own a contracting company.
Quinton Jones | The University of Kansas
J.E. DUNN, SR. SCHOLARSHIP
Quinton Jones, a junior at KU, will graduate in May 2020 with a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering. He is President of the KU Student Chapter of Engineers Without Borders and a participant in KU’s Self Engineering Leadership Fellows Program. He is also President of KU’s Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity and a member of the National Society of Black Engineers. He interned with JE Dunn Construction Company in Kansas City last summer. Upon graduation, he wants to help “design or manage big projects that positively affect society.”
Sawyer Kresse | University of Central Missouri
JOHN AND JILL DUNN SCHOLARSHIP
Sawyer Kresse, a senior at UCM, will graduate with a B.S. in Construction Management in December 2019. He is Liaison for the UCM Chapter of the Student Organization of Construction Management. He has an Associate in Arts degree from MCC–Longview. He comes from a construction background; his father Austin is a jobsite foreman at George J. Shaw Construction Co. During the summer of 2018 he served an internship with Centric Projects, LLC. He aspires to become a project engineer and eventually a superintendent in the commercial construction industry.
Zachary Lewis | Missouri University of Science and Technology
JOHN AND JILL DUNN SCHOLARSHIP
Zachary Lewis, a senior at Missouri S&T, will graduate in December 2019 with a B.S. degree in Architectural Engineering. He is Design Chairman of Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity and Vice President of Worship for the Christian Campus Fellowship. Next summer he will be an MEP Design Intern with a leading engineering design firm based in Lenexa, Kansas. Last summer Zachary was an Industrial Project Management Intern with a major development firm in Kansas City. His primary career interest is in MEP and lighting systems design.
Justin Andrus-Bearden | Missouri State University
FIREBAUGH CONSTRUCTION, INC. SCHOLARSHIP
Justin Andrus-Bearden, a junior at MSU, will graduate in December 2019 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. He is a member of the MSU Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers and, prior to transferring to MSU, was Scholarship Chair of the Missouri S&T Student Chapter of the AGC. Since January 2018 he has been an Engineering Intern with a Springfield-based structural engineering firm. He plans to become a licensed engineer designing buildings for the commercial construction industry.
Megan M. MÄtt | Iowa State University
FIREBAUGH CONSTRUCTION, INC. SCHOLARSHIP
Megan Mätt, a senior at ISU, will graduate in December 2019 with a B.S. in Construction Engineering. She received the Kelly Construction Group, Inc. Scholarship in 2018 and the J.E. Dunn, Sr. Scholarship in 2017. She has been active throughout college in the ISU Student Chapter of the AGC. She has over seven years of experience working in construction and since January 2018 has been an intern with a general contracting firm in Des Moines, Iowa. She plans to attain a professional engineering license and pursue a career in commercial construction.
Shauna Erickson | The University of Kansas
FOGEL-ANDERSON CONSTRUCTION CO. SCHOLARSHIP
Shauna Erickson, a junior at KU, will graduate in May 2020 with a B.S. degree in Architectural Engineering. She is President of the KU Student Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council and Assistant Event Coordinator of the KU Student Chapter of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers. Last summer, she interned with a Lawrence, Kansas, firm that provides engineering and review services for numerous building systems. She aspires to a career in mechanical engineering.
Fatima Essaidi | Missouri University of Science and Technology
GRAND CONSTRUCTION COMPANY LLC SCHOLARSHIP
Fatima Essaidi, a senior at Missouri S&T with a 4.0 GPA, will graduate in May 2020 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Construction Engineering. During her sophomore year she co-founded LaSTEMA.org, a website and social media channel which introduces women students to careers in science, technology, engineering, math (and the arts). She is currently an intern with Veolia Energy Kansas City. Her career focus is on finding creative construction solutions to our aging infrastructure.
Benjamin Steger | University of Missouri in Columbia
JENE HAYES/HAYES DRILLING, INC. SCHOLARSHIP
Benjamin Steger, a sophomore at Mizzou, will graduate in May 2021 with a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering. During college, he has held several leadership positions with the Mizzou Army ROTC. He is a member of the Student Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Chancellor’s Leadership Class, and Mizzou Concrete Canoe Team. He has served several engineering internships with a manufacturing process support organization in Pekin, Illinois. He plans to be a U.S. Army Engineering Officer.
Ethan Morrison | The University of Kansas
A.L. HUBER GENERAL CONTRACTOR SCHOLARSHIP
Ethan Morrison, a junior at KU, will graduate in May 2020 with a B.S. degree in Architectural Engineering. He was 2018 Vice President and is current Secretary of the KU Student Chapter of the AGC. He has been a Triathlon participant at KU since 2017 and is currently training for the Ironman. He is a business entrepreneur with his own fully-insured residential demolition company. The past two summers he has been an intern with Kiewit in Omaha. Upon graduation, he wants to work for a large general contractor and to eventually become a project manager.
Kyle Svoboda | The University of Kansas
JAMES L. HUTTON, SR./WILLIAM W. HUTTON MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Kyle Svoboda, a junior at KU, will graduate in May 2020 with a B.S. degree in Architectural Engineering. He is President of the Intrafraternity Council at KU, Past President of the Nu Chapter of Sigma Nu Fraternity, and a member of the KU Student Chapter of Engineers Without Borders. He was recently one of four collegians in America selected for the Sigma Nu National Board. He has most recently been an electrical engineering intern with a technical professional services firm. He aspires to a career in design, construction and engineering.
Raymond Boos | Missouri University of Science and Technology
JAMES L. “SKIP” HUTTON, JR. SCHOLARSHIP
Raymond Boos, a junior at Missouri S&T, will graduate in May 2021 with a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering and a minor in Latin American Studies for Technical Applications. He is a member of Engineers Without Borders and was Public Relations Chair of the Missouri S&T Student Chapter of the AGC. He is also Service Chair at the school’s Newman Center and a member of the Spanish Club. An Eagle Scout, Raymond provided service-oriented leadership to Troop 4016 and worked at Philmont Scout Ranch last summer. He plans to be a field engineer or construction manager.
Gabrielle Chirpich | University of Missouri in Columbia
INTERNATIONAL BUILDERS - IBC, INC. SCHOLARSHIP
Gabrielle Chirpich, a junior at Mizzou, is from Kansas City and will graduate in May 2020 with a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Structural Engineering and Construction Management. She is a member of Chi Epsilon Civil Engineering Honors Society and Tau Beta Pi National Engineering Honors Society. She was a Structural Engineering Intern with Kiewit Corporation during the summers of 2018 and 2017 and a Structural Design Intern with Kiewit during summer 2016. She looks forward to a career in structural engineering and project management.
Rachel Foster | Iowa State University
KELLY CONSTRUCTION GROUP, INC. SCHOLARSHIP
Rachel Foster, a freshman at ISU, will graduate in May 2022 with a B.S. degree in Construction Engineering. She is a member of the ISU Student Chapters of the AGC and the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA). She was an intern with Faith Technologies, Inc. from September 2017 to August 2018. Rachel had a 4.32 weighted GPA at Kimberly High School in Wisconsin, where she was 2017 Team Manager of the National Champion Rube Goldberg engineering team. She plans to pursue a career in commercial construction.
Cameron Gallagher | University of Central Missouri
MCCOWNGORDON CONSTRUCTION SCHOLARSHIP
Cameron Gallagher, a senior at UCM, will graduate with a B.S. degree in Construction Management in December 2019. He was on the Associated Schools of Construction Team which competed in the Commercial Division in Nebraska City in October 2018. He was also Tenor Saxophone Section Leader in the Marching Mizzou band his sophomore year. Cameron was a Field Engineer Intern with McCownGordon Construction last summer and during the fall 2018 semester. He plans to pursue a career in commercial construction.
Brett Moon | Kansas State University
MCCOWNGORDON CONSTRUCTION SCHOLARSHIP
Brett Moon, a junior at K-State, will graduate in December 2019 with a B.S. degree in Construction Science and Management. He is a member of the K-State Student Chapters of the AGC and the Mechanical Contractors Association, and is a participant in the K-State Developing Scholars Program. Last summer, he interned with a commercial contractor in Longmont, Colorado, assisting with 3D coordination, surveying and layout as a BIM Engineer. He aspires to be a project manager in commercial construction.
Michael Black | University of Missouri–Kansas City
PHILLIP W. MOORE MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Michael Black, a sophomore at UMKC, will receive his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering in 2021. He is a member of the UMKC Student Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the National Society of Black Engineers. While a student at Pacific High School near St. Louis, he was Parliamentarian of the Future Business Leaders of America and played varsity basketball and golf (he was Academic All-Conference in both sports). Michael aspires to a career in civil engineering with a focus on materials analysis.
Hanad Abdiaziz | Missouri University of Science and Technology
MURRAY COMPANY SCHOLARSHIP
Hanad Abdiaziz transferred to Missouri S&T during the spring semester of 2019 to pursue a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering, which he plans to complete in May 2021. He was formerly a student at Metropolitan Community College’s Maple Woods Campus. At Staley High School in Kansas City North he developed a passion for math, which he continues to pursue while working his way through school. He is interested in acquiring the skills associated with estimating and to becoming a project manager. He hopes one day to start his own construction company.
Megan Krueger | Missouri University of Science and Technology
THE PCI SCHOLARSHIP
Megan Krueger, a junior at Missouri S&T, will receive dual B.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Management in May 2020. She is a Teaching Assistant in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at Missouri S&T and was Executive Secretary of the Missouri S&T Chapter of Engineers Without Borders. Last summer Megan was an Organizational Design and Effectiveness Intern with JE Dunn Construction Company. She plans to be a project manager in commercial construction.
Tyler Collins | Kansas State University
PEARCE CONSTRUCTION SCHOLARSHIP
Tyler Collins, a sophomore in Construction Science and Management at K-State, will graduate in May 2021. He is Treasurer of K-State’s AGC Student Chapter and Treasurer of the K-State Chapter of the Mechanical Contractors Association. He participated in the ASC Region 4 Student Competition–Specialty Division in 2018. He worked for a residential contractor in South Central Kansas during high school. Last summer, he was a field engineer intern with a general contractor in Wichita. He aspires to be a project manager in commercial construction.
Aaron Elliott | Pittsburg State University
RAU CONSTRUCTION COMPANY SCHOLARSHIP
Aaron Elliott, a sophomore at PSU with a 4.0 GPA, is pursuing a B.S. in Technology with a major in Construction Management. He is Treasurer of the PSU Student Chapter of the AGC and a member of the Phi Eta Sigma Honors Society. He was also 2018 Treasurer of the American Concrete Institute and a member of the team which placed second in the Pervious Performance category last fall. Since August 2017, he has worked for a Pittsburg-based design-build general contractor. He looks forward to a career in commercial construction with a focus on concrete masonry.
Haley Samson | University of Missouri in Columbia
SENTER FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP
Haley Samson, a junior at Mizzou, will graduate in May 2020 with a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering and a minor in Construction Management. She is the Concrete Mix Design Captain of the Mizzou Concrete Canoe Team. She is also a member of the Society of Women Engineers, Mechanical Contractors Association of America, and the Student Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers. She is a project engineer intern with a general contractor in Lenexa, Kansas, and aspires to be a project superintendent.
Patrick Nieto Jr. | The University of Kansas
GEORGE J. SHAW CONSTRUCTION CO. SCHOLARSHIP
Patrick Nieto Jr., a junior at KU, will graduate in May 2020 with a B.S. degree in Architectural Engineering. He is President of the KU Student Chapter of the AGC and is a member of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. Patrick was Team Captain of his Westside High School varsity golf team. He was a Field Engineer intern with Turner Construction Company in Kansas City last summer. He also worked with Dr. Richard Bruce to form KU’s first official AGC student chapter. He aspires to a career in commercial construction management.
Abigail Pemberton | Missouri University of Science and Technology
KENNETH O. VON ACHEN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Abigail Pemberton, a junior at Missouri S&T, will graduate in December 2020 with a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering with a minor in Engineering Management. She is President of Zeta Tau Alpha Women’s Fraternity and 2018 Scholarship Chairman of the Missouri S&T Student Chapter of the AGC. Next summer she will be a Project Engineer Intern with McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. Her family history in construction dates back to her great-grandfather, an ironworker. She looks forward to being a construction project manager.
About The Builders’ Association
Phillip W. Thomas is Chairman of The Builders’ Association Scholarship Foundation. Don Greenwell is President and Richard Bruce, Ph.D., is Workforce & Professional Development Director of The Builders’ Association, which represents about 800 general contractor, subcontractor, supplier, and service provider member companies employing about 25,000 people.
The Builders’ Association is a forward-looking trade group advancing commercial construction throughout the heartland region. The Association promotes and delivers safety and professional/workforce training and consultation; provides business development platforms and web applications for construction plans; and delivers labor and government relations services. Brick and mortar locations include service centers in Kansas City, Jefferson City and Springfield, as well as the 100,000+ square foot Builders’ Training Center in North Kansas City. The Association’s sister organization, an AGC Chapter currently representing 120 firms, is part of the AGC of America, the largest and oldest national construction trade association in the United States. Visit The Builders’ Association online at www.buildersassociation.com and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.