The next VDTA/SDTA Convention & Show will be in
New Orleans, LA
February 27 - 29, 2012
at the Ernest Morial Convention Center
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The next VDTA/SDTA Convention & Show will be in |
VDTA/SDTA honors 2010 scholarship recipients The VDTA/SDTA is proud to announce that the 2010 VDTA/SDTA Bernie Epstein Scholarships have been awarded to Emily Schehlein of Phoenix, MD, and Ethan Miller of Crawfordsville, IN. These two students have demonstrated their love of sports, passion for community involvement, and strong leadership abilities. The VDTA/SDTA Bernie Epstein Scholarship is awarded in two different categories. A top male recipient and a top female recipient were selected from all applications received. Emily and Ethan are now eligible to receive up to $10,000 over a four-year period if they meet specific academic criteria outlined by the VDTA/SDTA Bernie Epstein Scholarship. Emily and Ethan accepted their awards during the 2010 VDTA/SDTA Show in Las Vegas in March. Congratulations Emily and Ethan! Meet Scholar Emily Schehlein Guy had this to say about his daughter, “[Emily] is an exemplary student, a valued member of the community, a talented performer and a gifted athlete. Emily will accept no less than the best from herself and those around her are inspired by her determination. She is quick with a smile and a laugh and never passes up an opportunity to help someone else. Her talents are numerous, but she focuses on the most important things: her family, community, and faith. There is no one more deserving of this scholarship than a young woman who is determined to change the world around her.” Emily’s qualifications for receiving the scholarship far exceed the established criteria. She is a remarkable role model and exceptional student. While in high school at Notre Dame Prep in Towson, MD, Emily achieved a cumulative grade point average of 3.88 on a scale of 4, while participating in a dozen activities and clubs. These included vocal music, theater/drama, basketball, chamber choir, concert chorale, speech team, environmental club and Italian club. She received numerous academic honors, including National Honor Societies in Science, Math, and Music, International Thespian Society, and National Society of High School Scholars. Additional honors included USAA National Science Merit Award, Maryland Distinguished Scholar in the Arts honorable mention, Presidential Scholarship from Loyola University and Knott Scholarship. Emily’s achievements outside of school are equally impressive. She competed in AAU basketball for nine years, sang at religious masses and liturgies, volunteered at a veterinary hospital and for four years at the Kennedy Krieger Institute for pediatric developmental disabilities and as a basketball coach for a children’s recreational basketball league. According to her basketball coach, “Emily was the consummate team player. She was always encouraging her teammates ...coaching her was such a pleasure. ...She proudly represented us as co-team captain at Nationals twice...Emily was always willing to help the yournger players. They looked up to her in a way that I have never seen.” Emily’s family’s roots in the floor care industry run deep. As she said while accepting the scholarship, “My grandfather was a Hoover salesman for only a year when he bought Bagdon’s Vacuums from a customer...in 1974. ... After a second store was opened in 1984, Bagdon’s became a place where I learned everything from how to bang a nail through a piece of plywood to using a credit card machine the right way. It became a place where I learned what hard work was and what perserverance meant.” Emily is pursuing a major in Biology and minor in Italian, with the plan of attending medical school and becoming a dermatologist. In expressing her apprciation for the scholarship, she said, “I am honored to accept an award that will allow me to continue my education and follow the hard working example that this organization and my family has set for me. I would like to thank the VDTA for their scholarship program that helps the families who own small businesses. I also want to thank all of the sponsors, manufacturers, dealers and distributors who contributed to this scholarship.” Meet Scholar Ethan Miller Speaking of his son, Robert said, “Ethan is a special individual in that he is involved in many different aspects of school, church, family, 4-H and our family business. What sets Ethan apart from others is that he is always encouraging and helping others to succeed, Ethan always encourages the team to do the best they can do.” Ethan’s list of accomplishments and activities is lengthy. He maintains a 3.46 (on a scale of 4) cumulative GPA, while participating in many school, church and community programs. He is a four-year letterman in both cross country and track & field, as well as concert band and marching band. He has been an active member of the school’s National Honor Society for three years, planning and working on the annual Elizabeth Rogers memorial 5K Run and the “Stuff the Turkey” food drive, and tutoring seventh and eighth graders in math. He is also a member of the Spanish club, Drama club, Marching Band, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Royal Ambasadors, who greet and assist the public at school events. Outside of school, Ethan is a Sunday School song leaderand teaching assistant at Bethel Presbyterian Church of Shannondale, a 10-year member of 4-H, six of which he has been a Junior Leader and a camp counselor for four years, and he has participated in Voices of Power, an inter-denominational group of teens who sing, dance, do skits and perform in worship band thoughout the local community. Ethan has received many awards and recognitions, including many 4-H Grand & Division Champions and Reserved Grand & Division Champions, and blue and red ribbons. He has received the Small Grains Outstanding Award, four Kirby Risk Outstanding Electric Project awards and the Rory Kerns Award for most outstanding seventh year 4-H’er. He was named student of the month at Southmont High School in both his freshman and junior years. According to Marvin Walters, Ethan’s track coach, “Ethan is a very self-disciplined young man who is very goal-oriented. ...I have seen him compete to the best of his ability on the track, on the cross country course, and in the classroom. He works very hard and is very conscientious about all of his work. During his senior year in cross country, Ethan was a key leader for our team that won the Sagamore Athletic Conference team championship. In track, he has been an outstanding leader of our distance running group throughout his high school career. Various awards that Ethan has earned .. are Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Runner, Mental Attitude Award, and Most Valuable Runner.” Southmont High’s Director of Bands, Brian Bartlett, added, “Ethan embodies the Six Pillars of Character as identified by the Josephson Institute Center for Your Ethics: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship...Ethan has many demands upon his time. He excels in all his endeavors and wishes to represent himself, family and school in the best light...By holding to these ideals, Ethan has developed a good reputation and it is my belief that you will not find a better candidate to represent your organization than Mr. Miller.” Ethan’s goal is to earn a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He says, “For as long as I can remember, I have always been fascinated by the mechanical aspects of different toys and machines. Legos were, and still are, a favorite construction toy of mine, along with Tinker toys and the classic Lincoln Logs. I have always loved working with my hands, whether it be with a bucket of building blocks or putting a project together for 4-H.” Ethan was very honored by receiving the VDTA/SDTA Bernie Epstein Scholarship. He thanked the association and scholarship sponsors and expressed his appreciation for the scholarship that will, “give us the peace of mind that is needed in order for me to focus fully on my academic, professional and personal goals. The VDTA/SDTA is proud to award the 2010 VDTA/SDTA Bernie Epstein Scholarship to Emily and Ethan. How is the scholarship funded? Reprinted from SQE Professional, May 2010 |