The NFPA Education and Technology Foundation has awarded 20 $2,000 scholarships to students pursuing fluid power related fields of study. One of the winners, Kayden Brant, is attending the Brigham Young University. We asked Kayden a few questions about winning the scholarship.
What does winning a Fluid Power Scholarship mean to you?
Receiving this Fluid Power scholarship means a lot to me. It has been a goal of mine to graduate from college debt-free. This led me to work hard in high school and apply for different scholarships. I am super grateful to receive this scholarship as it helps me reach that goal.
Why did you choose to learn about fluid power?
Physics and engineering have always intrigued me and have led me to pursue different classes in school. In my AP Physics 2 class, one of the units we covered was fluids. I enjoyed discovering how fluids worked and how the different laws related and applied to real-life scenarios.
What are your career aspirations? What type of fluid power job do you hope to get after you graduate?
I hope to pursue a degree in aerospace engineering and eventually work on aircraft and other pieces of equipment. I especially enjoy the designing and modeling side of engineering and will likely use this to design different fluid power systems that can be implemented in projects.
A minimum GPA of 2.5 out of 4.0, 500-word essay, and letter of recommendation were required from each applicant. The NFPA Foundation’s goal is to help graduating high school students, and individuals enrolled in community colleges, technical schools and universities pursue their academic interests in fluid power.
One way NFPA members can get involved with scholarship programs is to volunteer as a judge to serve on the application review committee. This year 27 judges from 19 NFPA member companies reviewed 122 eligible student applications to the Fluid Power Scholarship program. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Haley Nemeth at hnemeth@nfpa.com.