...and more scholarships

Motor, Jun 1998 by Lypen, John

Nearly 250 high school seniors were recently awarded more than $500,000 in scholarships to one of the country's top technical schools, Universal Technical Institute (UTI).

UTI's "Al Unser Scholarship Competition" for high school students is held at over 50 test sites across the nation. The competition awards students for mastering skills in two categories-Auto/Diesel and HVAC/Refrigeration. Over 40 first place individual scholarships totaling more than $200,000 were awarded; more than 3100 high school seniors participated in the competition.

The grand prizewinner, John Mayer of Apalachin, New York, scored highest in this year's competition. John earned a $5000 scholarship from UTI and will also receive the $5000 Bridgestone/Firestone "Young Technician" Scholarship as the top scorer in the nation. He is a student at Vestal Central High School who, after graduation, plans to attend UTI's Auto/Truck and Industrial Program at the Illinois campus in September.

Since its inception in 1993, UTI's scholarship competition has awarded more than $3 million for continued education in the technical field.

Founded in Phoenix in 1965, UTI offers accelerated training in the following fields: automotive, diesel, computer-aided drafting, HVAC, motorcycle and marine and personal watercraft. The Institute has graduated more than 40,000 students representing all 50 states and some foreign countries. Presently, UTI has campuses in Arizona, Illinois and Texas; soon, a California campus will be established.

UTI has also developed the BMW Service Technician Education Program, or STEP, in collaboration with BMW of North America. The program offers in.tensive six-month training in BMW automotive technology. Graduates of UTI's basic technician program who maintain a high grade point average and have excellent attendance are eligible to apply for the program.