A total of $113,000 in scholarship funds has been awarded to 38 students by the ARA Foundation and its affiliate programs for the 2022-2023 school year.
The scholarships will provide financial assistance to students pursuing equipment and event rental-related education at trade schools, community colleges, undergraduate colleges and graduate schools.
This year’s offerings included the brand-new American Rental Association (ARA) Student Member scholarship worth $2,000, available exclusively to applicants who have joined the ARA student membership designation for high school and higher-level education students interested in learning and growing within the equipment and event rental industry.
Lexa Thompson, DeRidderRentals.com, DeRidder, La., was the top winner. She received the Leonard Hawk Founders Scholarship worth $5,000 and the ARA Insurance Scholarship worth $4,000 for a total of $9,000.
“This is a really big deal for me,” says Thompson, who is enrolled at Louisiana Tech University. She also says that thanks to the scholarships she received, “My goals are in reach. The scholarships have removed part of the financial barrier for me to attend college. When I received the email that I had been chosen, I felt relief and a sense of security for the first time since my college pursuit started. The reward gave me the ray of hope I needed to enter college with a confident, ‘everything will be OK’ mindset.”
The other recipients and the scholarships they were awarded are:
ARA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarships worth $3,500 each
- Katherine Blood, Blood’s Catering & Party Rentals, White River Junction, Vt.
- Matthew Citron, LiftSmart, Vista, Calif.
- Zachary Clawson, Diamond Event, Salt Lake City
- Nancy Clippard, Houston ToolBank, Houston
- Jay Evers, Village Hardware, Leipsic, Ohio
- Alexis Martindale, Arapahoe Rental, Littleton, Colo.
- Nicoletta Nadolski, Sun Rental, Mentor, Ohio
- Michael Stelpflug, Middleton Farmers Cooperative, Middleton, Wis.
- Ryan Wechsler, Atlas Event Rental, Boynton Beach, Fla.
- Jonah Yingling, Capitol Rentals and Sales, Carlisle, Pa.
ARA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarships worth $2,000 each
- Jane Bliss, Elitsac, Castile, N.Y.
- Joshua Clawson, Diamond Event, Salt Lake City
- Tyler Hesseltine, Texas Throne, Portland, Texas
- Jager Jensen, Scotty’s Rentals & Landscaping, Rocky View County, Alberta, Canada
- Kurt Kaufmann, Jon P. Kaufmann d/b/a Fun Services, Bellevue, Mich.
- Kenneth Meuler, Doral Equipment Rental, Menomonee Falls, Wis.
- Grace Schuler, 12th Street Catering, Philadelphia
- Abby Stockton, Stockton Rental Co., Sheridan, Ark.
- Tyler Van Es, Gierke Robinson Co., Monee, Ill.
- Zachry Veal Jr., Beachview Event Rentals & Design, Brunswick, Ga.
ARA Foundation Graduate Scholarships worth $3,000 each
- Christopher Sayre, Allied Technical Services, Cincinnati
- Ashlyn Talcott, Wasatch Equipment Rental, Salt Lake City
ARA Foundation Trade School Scholarships worth $2,000 each
- Madison Clipperton, Nor-Val Equipment Sales, Vernon, British Columbia, Canada
- Cory Johnson, RC Watt, North Huntingdon, Pa.
- William Pray, MEI Hambelton, Wichita, Kan.
ARA Student Member Scholarship worth $2,000
- Jessica Selvidge, Sunflower Rents, Topeka, Kan.
ARA Insurance Scholarship worth $4,000
- Lexa Thompson, DeRidderRentals.com, DeRidder, La., who also received the Leonard Hawk Founders Scholarship worth $5,000 for a total of $9,000.
ARA Region Two Ron Marshall Scholarships worth $750 each
- Grace Schuler, 12th Street Catering, Philadelphia, who also received an ARA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship worth $2,000 for a total of $2,750.
- Jonah Yingling, Capitol Rentals and Sales, Carlisle, Pa., who also received an ARA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship worth $3,500 for a total of $4,250.
ARA Region 10 Dorothy Wellnitz Scholarship worth US$1,500
- Jager Jensen, Scotty’s Rentals & Landscaping, Rocky View County, Alberta, who also received an ARA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship worth US$2,000 for a total of US$3,500.
ARA Region 10 Doug Mitchell Scholarship worth US$1,500
- Mason Richey, West Point Rentals, Terrace, British Columbia
ARA of Arkansas Scholarship worth $2,500
- Abby Stockton, Stockton Rental Co., Sheridan, Ark., who also received an ARA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship worth $2,000 for a total of $4,500.
ARA of Georgia Scholarship worth $2,000
- Zachry Veal Jr., Beachview Event Rentals & Design, Brunswick, Ga., who also received an ARA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship worth $2,000 for a total of $4,000.
ARA of California Scholarships worth $1,500 each
- Matthew Citron, LiftSmart, Vista, Calif., who also received an ARA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship worth $3,500 for a total of $5,000.
- Gabriel Hughes, Hometown Rentals, San Dimas, Calif.
ARA of Florida Scholarship worth $1,000
- Nicholas Webster, True Value Rental of Inverness, Inverness, Fla.
- Ryan Wechsler, Atlas Event Rental, Boynton Beach, Fla., who also received an ARA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship worth $3,500 for a total of $4,500.
ARA of Illinois Scholarships worth $1,000 each
- Rebbeca Meyers, 1st Rental & Sales, Rockford, Ill.
- Logan Soares, First Place Rental, Oswego, Ill.
- Tyler Van Es, Gierke Robinson Co., Monee, Ill., who also received an ARA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship worth $2,000 for a total of $3,000.
ARA of Michigan Scholarships worth $1,000 each
- Garrison Booms, Booms Rent-All, Bad Axe, Mich.
- Kurt Kaufmann, Jon P. Kaufmann d/b/a Fun Services, Bellevue, Mich., who also received an ARA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship worth $2,000 for a total of $3,000.
ARA of New York Scholarships worth $1,250 each
- Jane Bliss, Elitsac, Castile, N.Y., who also received an ARA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship worth $2,000 for a total of $3,250.
- Carlin Reyen, Johnson Outdoors, Binghamton, N.Y.
ARA of North Carolina Scholarship worth $1,000
- Alex Lohrman, Party Reflections, Greensboro, N.C.
ARA of Ohio Scholarship worth $1,000
- Jacob Bourque, Bedrock Party Rentals, Athens, Ohio
- Jay Evers, Village Hardware, Leipsic, Ohio, who also received an ARA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship worth $3,500 for a total of $4,500.
- Nicoletta Nadolski, Sun Rental, Mentor, Ohio, who also received an ARA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship worth $3,500 for a total of $4,500.
Texas Rental Association/Bill Loomer Houston Area Rental Association Scholarship worth $3,000
- Nancy Clippard, Houston ToolBank, Houston, who also received an ARA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship worth $3,500 for a total of $6,500.
Texas Rental Association Scholarships worth $1,500 each
- Tyler Hesseltine, Texas Throne, Portland, Texas, who also received an ARA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship worth $2,000 for a total of $3,500.
- Kayla Terrell, Display Concepts Party Rentals, Amarillo, Texas
- Ross Wilkins, Frontier Forklifts & Service, Pearland, Texas
ARA of Wisconsin Scholarship worth $1,000
- Kenneth Meuler, Doral Equipment Rental, Menomonee Falls, Wis., who also received an ARA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship worth $2,000 for a total of $3,000.
- Michael Stelpflug, Middleton Farmers Cooperative, Middleton, Wis., who also received an ARA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship worth $3,500 for a total of $4,500.