Congratulations to 25 students at Missoula College who recently received a $1,000 scholarship from the Gianforte Family Foundation.
The Gianforte Family Foundation began funding the Gianforte Manufacturing Scholarships in 2015. This scholarship program is statewide for students at two-year colleges across Montana (including Missoula College). Missoula College students applying for the Gianforte Manufacturing Scholarships must be in Welding, Machining, Energy Technology, or Diesel Technology at Missoula College. Other statewide programs that qualify include: industrial maintenance, welding fabrication, industrial electronics, and aviation technology. Applicants' veteran status, financial need, and career intentions are all taken into consideration.
Industrial Technology programs require students to purchase tools that cost much more than usual college textbooks, and this scholarship allows students to stretch their financial aid and limit loan debt. "Since we have so few scholarships focused on the Industrial Technology programs, this really means a lot to our students." Mickey Lyngholm, Workforce Navigator for Missoula College, said.
The statewide total of Gianforte Manufacturing Scholarships has surpassed 300 since the program's inception in 2015. To read more about the Gianforte Family Foundation and the Gianforte Manufacturing Scholarship, visit the University of Montana Foundation's website.