The winner of the 2005 Foundation of the Wall and Ceiling Industry’s $10,000 scholarship is Ryan M. Weis, son of Mark R. Weis, who is president of George Weis Company in Millstadt, Ill. He is a sophomore at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., where he is fulfilling the requirements of his major, construction engineering and business management. He plans to graduate in May 2007.
Upon graduation, Weis says he “hopes to work in the family business and take it to the next level.”
The Foundation provides $10,000 to an applicant who is furthering his or her education in the fields of construction management, engineering or architecture. It is available for qualifying AWCI member company employees and their direct dependents. The first portion of the scholarship will be given to Weis in time for the January 2005 semester.
MEET THE WINNER
Weis started his construction career in 2001, working 16 hours per week at a construction supply company, Wall & Ceiling Systems Supply, Inc. in Millstadt, Ill. There he loaded trucks, received materials, took inventory, and helped maintain the scaffold, tools and trucks.
Then, during the summers of 2002 and 2003, Weis worked full-time as an apprentice carpenter for his father’s company. It was there that he became more familiar with steel studs, wood framing, acoustic ceilings, drywall hanging and other miscellaneous carpenter tasks.
The summer of 2004 was spent working a full-time internship for a general contractor in Brookfield, Wis., the M.A. Mortenson Construction Company. Weis says that during his 12-week stint with the contractor, “I observed and shadowed the project manager and engineers on the construction of a 34-story condo. I worked closely with their ‘zero injury safety program.’ [I also worked with] estimating, reviewing plans and specs; compared blueprints to actual construction on the job site; [did] quality control checks; safety audits; attended foreman, staff, subcontractor and owner meetings; obtained construction permits; updated blueprints and many other miscellaneous tasks.”
But Weis’ activities are not aimed at just construction—he’s also a jock and a scholar. When he was in high school, he received letters in soccer, baseball, wrestling and Rugby, and he also received academic high honors.
At Purdue University, Weis made the Academic Dean’s List in Freshman Engineering in his first semester. Also during his freshman year, he joined the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and the Rugby team.
During this time, Weis also was president of the Trinity Lutheran Church Youth Group, where he volunteered to oversee the construction of a picnic pavilion at the church camp. The group also helped install acoustic ceilings at Unity Christian Day School.
YOU, TOO, COULD WIN
As part of the application process, applicants must provide information such as proof of employment, employment history, school transcripts and references. In addition, applicants have to answer the following essay question: “You have an unlimited budget to build or renovate, design or engineer any building—new or existing—anywhere in the world. What would you build? Where do you build it? What material do you use to build it? How is the building to be used? Why are you building or renovating it?” (You can read his winning essay in the sidebar on page 62.)
How can your student get $10,000? If you or any of your full-time dependents meet the following requirements, and you work for an AWCI-member company, you are eligible to apply for the scholarship program:
- The applicant must be pursing a post-high school education in the field of construction management, engineering or architecture. Graduate school, technical school and associate degree program students, as well as students of traditional four-year colleges are all eligible to apply.
- The applicant must have achieved a cumulative 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) academic average for the last two full-time semesters of study.
- The applicant must be a full-time student or must be intending to become a full-time student.
DEADLINE IS NEXT SUMMER
The deadline for the 2006 scholarship is Aug. 1, 2005. The winner will be selected during the Foundation’s meeting in September 2005, during AWCI’s Industry Executives’ Conference & Committee Week in San Francisco. This will allow the winner to have advance notice and be able to attend AWCI’s Annual Convention & Trade Show, which is where the winner’s name will be formally announced.
Call Northern at (703) 538–1615 to have an application mailed to you when they are available, or if you have any questions.
