Albion senior receives $3K scholarship from American Welding Society
Photo courtesy of Orleans/Niagara BOCES – Pictured form left include Joseph Schmidt, Associate Professor/Coordinator Welding at NCCC; Steven Frey, Welding Educator/Inspector at NCCC; Sawyer Braley of Albion; Adam Zerby, OCTEC Welding Teacher; and Ron Jackson, OCTEC Welding Teacher.
Press Release, Orleans/Niagara BOCES
MEDINA – Sawyer Braley, a senior from Albion High School, has received the AWS (American Welding Society) Niagara Frontier Scholarship for the amount of $3,000.
Sawyer is a student at the Orleans/Niagara BOCES’ Orleans Career and Technical Education Center (OCTEC) and is taught by Ron Jackson and Adam Zerby. He will be using his scholarship to continue his education at the Kentucky Welding Institute in Flemingsburg, Kentucky.
“It’s so exciting to get this scholarship,” he said. “I plan on becoming a certified pipe welder and this money is really going to help me out with my tuition. I have just loved being in the welding program here at BOCES. It has been great getting a hands-on education and I can’t thank Mr. Jackson and Mr. Zerby enough for helping me out and teaching me what I know.”
His teachers could not be prouder of Sawyer. “He is a phenomenal kid,” said Mr. Jackson. “He is a hard worker, very likeable and makes us look good.”
Mr. Zerby said it makes him feel good to see Sawyer follow in his own career path of pipe welding.
“He is self-motivated and very career oriented,” Mr. Zerby said. “He is a very impressive person and I am sure in five years’ time, he will be running his own company.”
Joseph Schmidt, an Associate Professor and Coordinator of Welding at Niagara County Community College and Steven Frey, a Welding Educator/Inspector at NCCC , were on the committee to determine the winner of the scholarship.
“We were very impressed with Sawyer’s commitment to welding, his great grades, his outside commitments to the Boy Scouts and giving back to his community,” said Mr. Schmidt. “Not to mention he won our Weld-Off and took third place at the New York State SkillsUSA competition. He is just an outstanding student.”
