National Fluid Power Association Awards 23 Fluid Power Scholarships

Milwaukee, WI – September 5, 2023 — The NFPA Education and Technology Foundation has awarded 23 $2,000 scholarships to students pursuing fluid power related fields of study. 

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. 

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The following students were awarded a $2,000 Fluid Power Scholarship: 

• Albert Ly, Illinois Institute of Technology
• April Polston, Murray State University
• Athena Shier, University of South Carolina
• Ben Quade, Iowa State University (Raymond F. Hanley Memorial Award)
• Bentley Soukhaphaly, University of Wisconsin-Madison (Robert Mackey Memorial Award)
• Brendan McCluskey, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Christopher Swarner, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
• Connor Stonerock, Ohio University
• Ethan Smoes, LeTourneau University
• Evan Fender, Wright State University
• Gabriel Schroepfer, Northern Illinois University
• Giovanni Hernandez, University of California-Irvine
• James Oosterhouse, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
• Kaedyn Peterson-Rucker, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Marco Vanoni, Michigan State University
• Mason Maile, Milwaukee School of Engineering
• Matthew Brooks, Tarleton State University
• Olivia DeBoer, Harvey Mudd College
• Richard Misner, Macomb Community College
• Sonnet Xu, Stanford University

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Thomas Wanke was a monumental figure in fluid power, active for more than 50 years and influencing generations of fluid power engineers through his work at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, its Fluid Power Institute, and with the National Fluid Power Association. To ensure that his positive impact on fluid power education continues to be felt, the NFPA Education and Technology Foundation administers the Tom Wanke Legacy Fund.

To honor his memory, the following students were selected to receive a $2,000 Tom Wanke Legacy Fund Award:

• Hannah Shu, Stanford University
• Tatiyana Timmons, Murray State University
• Tony Hicks Jr., Morehouse College

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We want to thank the NFPA Scholarship Review Committee: Bill Haley of FORCE America, Inc., Bobby Bradley of Motion Industries, Inc., Brad Dittmer of Norgren, Charles Werdehoff of Norgren, Christian Eitel of Bucher Hydraulics, Edgar Torres of Bucher Hydraulics, Frank Langro of Festo, Gabriel Schatko of Exotic Automation & Supply, Josh Scarbrough of IFP Motion Solutions, Inc., Karen Carroll of ROSS Controls, Kent Sowatzke of Norgren, Mike Betz of Danfoss, Steve Downey of Hydraulex, Tom Blansett of the International Fluid Power Society, Tom Peterson of Husco, and Travis Schmidt of HydraForce.