The Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Minnesota (AASP-MN) awarded $15,000 in scholarships to help post-secondary automotive students pay for tuition during the 2014-15 school year.  The scholarships are in the amount of $1,000 per student and were made possible by a successful fundraising drive within the AASP-MN membership, as well as a generous donation from the Minnesota State I-CAR Committee.  All recipients will be entering the second year of a NATEF-certified automotive program based in Minnesota.

Congratulations to this year’s recipients!

• Anthony Ammann, Century College, White Bear Lake – Automotive Service Technology program
• Tyler Anderson, Hennepin Technical College, Brooklyn Park – Auto Body Collision Repair program
• Courtney Bisbee, Lake Superior College, Duluth – Automotive Service Technology program
• Matthew Bisbee, Lake Superior College, Duluth – Auto Body Collision Repair program
• Tyler Bode, South Central Technical College, No. Mankato – Automotive Service Technology program
• Luis Garcia, Ridgewater College, Willmar – Automotive Service Technology program
• Levi Gustafson, Riverland Community College, Austin – Automotive Service Technology program
• Tyler Hoyles, Dakota County Technical College, Rosemount – Automotive Service Technology program
• Austin Rikhus, MN State Community & Technical College, Moorhead – Automotive Service Technology program
• Michael Torgerson, Pine Technical College, Pine City – Automotive Service Technology program
• Seth Schure, MN State College Southeast Technical, Winona – Auto Body Collision Repair program
• Alex Winder, Dakota County Technical College, Rosemount  – Auto Body Collision Repair program
• Joseph Wright, Dakota County Technical College, Rosemount  – Auto Body Collision Repair program
• Peter Yang, Hennepin Technical College, Brooklyn Park  – Auto Body Collision Repair program
• Christopher Yanish, Hennepin Technical College, Eden Prairie  – Auto Body Collision Repair program

Twenty-seven students from 12 schools applied for the scholarships.  Applications were reviewed by a committee of industry representatives, with consideration given to scholastic achievement, education and career goals, financial need and written recommendations. 

The scholarship awards are the centerpiece of AASP-MN’s Automotive Education Fund, which was established to provide financial resources to support automotive students, enhance automotive programs and raise awareness of career opportunities in the independent automotive service industry.

The Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Minnesota (AASP-MN) is an association of independently-owned automotive service businesses and industry suppliers dedicated to improving the state’s automotive service industry and the success of its members.