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Fast Start Scholarships
Applications for the 2025-2026 academic year AISC David B. Ratterman Fast Start Scholarships are now closed. Stay tuned for an announcement about the recipients in March 2025.
Awards totaling $86,000!
Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants must be:
- the child of an AISC Full Member company employee OR share a permanent residence with an AISC Full Member company employee. Full Member company employees are also eligible to apply if they, themselves, will be a student. Employees must work for a facility that produces, distributes or fabricates structural steel for use in buildings and bridges and whose tonnage is used in the calculation of the members required contributions to AISC.
- a Freshman or Sophomore level student during the full 2025-26 academic year.
- attending a 2-year or 4-year college full-time.
A few pointers for applicants:
- Choose your recommender wisely. Select someone who is familiar with your academic or professional achievements and strongly supports your application.
- Write for your audience. Before drafting your essay(s), consider the essay topic(s) carefully and think about how what you write will impact the reader, or in this case, the scholarship jury.
- Proofread your application before hitting submit! Review your information carefully to check for accuracy and catch any spelling or grammatical errors.
Awards will be announced in March 2025.
2024-2025 Fast Start Scholarship Recipients
Recipients Attending 2-Year Schools
Name | School | AISC Member Company |
Amount |
Caleb Dodd |
Mississippi Delta Community College |
Cives Corporation-Cives Steel Company |
$2,000 |
Michael Moyano |
Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology |
Liberato Steel Fabricating Company |
$2,000 |
Amber Winzenburg |
Ridgewater College |
Bergh's Fabricating, Inc. |
$2,000 |
Recipients Attending 4-Year Schools
Name | School | AISC Member Company |
Amount |
Elijah Beebout |
Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary |
Johnson Machine Works | $5,000 |
Lydia Burrows | University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point | Merrill Steel, Inc. | $5,000 |
Clara Cobb | Louisiana Tech University | Lexicon Incorporated |
$5,000 |
Elijah DeBruler |
Indiana Wesleyan University |
Indiana Bridge, Inc. |
$5,000 |
Olivia Ehlers |
University of Nebraska-Lincoln |
Behlen Mfg. Co. | $5,000 |
Gianna Frasher | University of Mary | Behlen Mfg. Co. | $5,000 |
Julia Huls |
Montana State University |
Montana Fabrication Works | $5,000 |
Osihel Leos |
University of Texas at Arlington |
Ennis Steel Industries | $5,000 |
Molly Lusk |
North Carolina State University |
Dave Steel Company, Inc. | $5,000 |
Marissa McLaughlin | University of Maine at Farmington | Cianbro Fabrication & Coating Corporation | $5,000 |
Josie Miller | SUNY Plattsburgh | Jeffords Steel & Engineering Co. | $5,000 |
Konner Parsley |
Purdue University Indianapolis | F.A. Wilhelm Construction Co. Inc. | $5,000 |
Ella Rogowski | University of Wisconsin-Green Bay | Construction Supply & Erection, Inc. | $5,000 |
Payton Rude | North Dakota State University | Mid America Steel | $5,000 |
Ayden Sandefur | Western Kentucky University | Allstate Tower, Inc. | $5,000 |
Mallie Zielinski | University of Mississippi | Nucor-Yamato Steel | $5,000 |
2024-2025 Judging Panel
Greg Borchardt, AISC Board Member
Kelsey DeLong, AISC Board Member
Babette Freund, AISC Board Member
Steve Knitter, AISC Board Member
John O'Quinn, AISC Board Member
Duff Zimmerman, AISC Board Member
Questions? Please contact universityprograms@aisc.org.