PPB October 2018

FEATURE | PPEF Scholarship Winners PPEF AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS TO INDUSTRY MEMBERS OR THEIR CHILDREN UNDER THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS: Four-Year Scholarship The scholarship is awarded to entering college freshmen based on students’ academic achievement, ACT or SAT test results, scholastic and civic leadership, and an optional category of financial need. Awards range between $4,000 and $8,000. Chairman’s Scholarship The scholarship is for college sophomores entering their junior year who are actively pursuing a bachelor’s degree in an academic field related to the promotional products industry and who express a clear intent to enter the field of promotional products as a career. $5,000 is awarded over two years. Friends of PPMN Scholarship The scholarship is awarded to a full-time promotional products industry employee for undergraduate or graduate-level course work at an accredited college or university. This $1,000 scholarship was created to assist nontraditional students working in the industry. One-Year Scholarship The scholarship is available to industry employees or their dependents attending a two-year or four-year accredited undergraduate college or university and taking at least six credit hours per semester. Awards range from $1,000 to $2,000. One-Year Scholarships include 27 Named Scholarships. Tuition is just the tip of the iceberg for many students, as costs for housing, meal plans and books also need to be factored in. According to the College Board, for the 2017-2018 academic year a moderate budget for an in-state public college averaged $25,290, and a moderate budget for a private college averaged $50,900. The escalating costs of education are contributing to mounting student debt in the U.S., which now totals $1.5 trillion. Credit reporting agency Experian reports that the average outstanding student loan balance is $34,144, up 62 percent over the past decade. PPEF received 569 applications this year, which is the highest in the history of the foundation and which reflects a five percent increase over 2017. The selection process was rigorous, with 132 students receiving scholarships. “These numbers illustrate how far we have to go,” says Greenberg. “While we can never expect to fund 100 percent of all applications, we can report that there are many more students worthy of funding.” Learn more about PPEF and the ways to support its scholarship program at www.ppef.us. “I would like to thank PPEF and all the donors for this extremely generous scholarship. With a grandfather and father who both work at a family promotional products company, I have grown up around this industry. Now as the fourth generation, I am studying product design at the University of Notre Dame and have begun working within graphics at the family company. I hope to use my degree to marry rapid advancements in technology with the promotional products industry – to create more effective means of advertising.” Jacob Rush Chairman’s Scholarship 2018 2018 NAMED SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS GEORGE C. MATTESON, JR. SCHOLARSHIP Abbey Elkins Millington, Tennessee Middle Tennessee State University Daughter of Andy Oglesby, Atomic Graphics “Thank you for this scholarship. When my family and I received the letter, we were literally jumping with joy. It means so much to us, with my sister in her third year of nursing school and two younger siblings at home. College was going to be a struggle, and this scholarship will be put to good use. I’m excited to start my first year this fall and will now be less stressed entering school. Your generosity means the world to me.” SAM ROSENBLUM SCHOLARSHIP Jamie Berger Plainview, New York Binghamton University Daughter of Richard Berger, Flagpro USA TED E. DENNISON, MAS, SCHOLARSHIP Olivia Brady Houston, Texas University of Texas–Austin Daughter of Cheryl Brady, Pegg Products Carmen Huang Quincy, Massachusetts Brandeis University Daughter of Bing Yi Cao, Hub Pen Company Jacob Rush Fresno, California University of Notre Dame Son of Michael Rush, Rush Advertising Specialties 2018 CHAIRMAN’S SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS 64 | OCTOBER 2018 |