Lake Technical College is proud to announce that Auto Collision Repair & Refinishing student, Chelsea Bonds, is the well-deserving recipient of a 2016 Women’s Industry Network (WIN) Scholarship. Chelsea graduated from Umatilla High School in June 2015 and started Lake Tech’s Auto Collision program in August. Chelsea is a respected student-leader on campus as her program’s appointed Student Ambassador for Lake Tech’s Student Leadership Council. She often gives guided campus tours to prospective students, as well as, represents Lake Tech at various community and high school events around the county.
The Women’s Industry Network is a “not-for-profit organization dedicated to encouraging, developing and cultivating opportunities to attract women to collision repair while recognizing excellence, promoting leadership, and fostering a network among the women who are shaping the industry,” according to the WIN website. The WIN Scholarship is awarded each year to only 5 recipients from across the nation who are chosen by a committee made up of women in the industry. Beverly Rook, chairman of the scholarship committee, said that “Recipients of the WIN scholarships demonstrate their desire to excel in the field of Collision Repair… Each scholarship recipient will receive a $1,000.00 scholarship to continue her post-secondary education in collision repair, a one-year WIN Membership, plus registration fees and travel expenses to attend the 2016 WIN Educational Conference in Tampa, FL, May 2-4.”
Chelsea said, “I’m excited to meet other women in the industry and to learn from my WIN mentor.” Chelsea has great ambitions to open her own auto body shop, but her dream doesn’t stop there. Not only does she want to help others by taking care of their cars, she also wants to incorporate personal care and well-being into her business design. “I hope to not only take care of people’s cars, but to have a salon, childcare, and possibly a health foods area available to my clients while they have their car repaired.” She admits that she’s still working out the details of her plan, but she’s determined to make it a reality. She thanks God for her talents, and her parents, Lake Tech instructors, and the WIN network for all their support as she pursues her dreams.
More information about WIN and their scholarship opportunities can be found on their website, http://thewomensindustrynetwork.ning.com/.