Media contact: Kristi Pronovost
Director of Marketing & Communications
(717) 653-8106 or kristi@abckeystone.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 5, 2021
MANHEIM, Pa, May 5, 2021 – Twelve deserving individuals were recently awarded scholarships from the Merit Shop Training and Research Center (MSTRC). The $14,500 in scholarships for the 2021-2022 academic year brings the total to $550,350 that has been awarded by MSTRC since its inception, helping students entering a career path in the construction industry.
The purpose of the Merit Shop Construction Scholarship Program, sponsored by ABC Keystone and administered by the Merit Shop Training & Research Center (MSTRC), is to assist individuals seeking to further their education in careers in construction. To be eligible, applicants must either be a permanent resident in the Chapter’s service area or be applying to or attending a Chapter service area trade school, college or university program that is directly related to a construction career. This includes skilled trades, engineering, architecture, and construction management. Students are evaluated on recommendations, academic achievement, initiative, a written essay and community and extra-curricular activities. The highest-level scholarships, each a $2,000 award this year, are given in honor of the late Richard Honabach, former ABC Keystone Executive Director. This award was established in 2000, in memory of his years of dedicated service to ABC.
“Now more than ever, it’s a great time to enter the construction industry, and we’re so proud to be able to support this new generation of trades and professional craftspeople,” said Stephanie Larkin, Vice President of Education, Safety & Workforce Development, ABC Keystone. “Construction offers skilled, exciting, and lucrative careers along with a chance to earn while you learn through registered apprenticeship. I look forward to welcoming these future professionals into the industry. We extend them our best wishes in their academic and scholastic careers!”
Learn more about the MSTRC Scholarship program here.
This year’s recipients are as follows:
| First Name | Last Name | Hometown | Amount | Award |
| Tracy | Kinzer | Hagerstown, MD | $2,000 | Richard Honabach Award |
| Anne | Russell | Landisville | $2,000 | Richard Honabach Award |
| Geoffrey | Little | Hanover | $1,500 | |
| Elijah | Ruppert | Fleetwood | $1,500 | |
| Trevor | Fegley | Hamburg | $1,250 | |
| Elijah | Greenawalt | Camp Hill | $1,250 | |
| James | Davis | Phoenixville | $1,000 | |
| Cole | Snavely | Lititz | $1,000 | |
| Zachary | Fields | New Oxford | $750 | |
| Louella | Girroir | Hanover | $750 | |
| Westin | Kolaric | Elizabethtown | $750 | |
| Carter | Snavely | Lititz | $750 |
Individual photos may be available upon request.
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The Merit Shop Training and Research Center, established by Associated Builders & Contractors, Keystone Chapter (ABC Keystone), is a non-profit fund whose mission is to provide financial assistance to students who have chosen construction-related career paths. The Center is funded by members of the Chapter, who have taken upon themselves the responsibility to be proactive in assisting individuals in their preparation for the construction industry.
