R.B. - Texas State 3/30/18
I would like to thank FEF for honoring me as the FEF Scholarship Recipient. I take great pride as a student within the metal casting and FEF community to receive such an award.
My first exposure to metal casting was with my foundry teacher Dr. Bartlett, who now teaches as Missouri University of Science and Technology. When she took my class to tour CMC Steel in Seguin, TX, she also unknowingly kickstarted my interest in the metal casting industry. From that point, I started attending AFS student chapter meetings, regional meetings, and conferences. At these meetings and conferences, I learned about the incredible opportunities for students, how to network as a professional, new emerging technologies, issues within the metal casting industry, and much more.
My continued interest in the metal casting industry comes from remaining active with AFS Texas State Student Chapter by serving as secretary and learning about the new technologies that are emerging within the metal casting industry. There is a growing need to expand the automated processing and robotics field within the industry. As many of the facilities are very old, they require these new technologies to improve their processes, increase production, and improve overall competitiveness especially against the rising overseas markets.
My current goal is to find employment within a metal casting facility as a process engineer or quality engineer here in the U.S. and to acquire any new skills to achieve this. This scholarship will go towards paying for my 6 Sigma Green Belt certification class. I know that with this certification I will stand out amongst the rest when it comes to starting my career as a process engineer or quality engineer.
Again, I would like to thank you, Dr. Barlett, Dr. Handayani, and the FEF community for honoring me with the FEF Scholarship as I look to start my career within the metal casting industry.
T.B. - Texas State 3/30/18
I am currently a student at Texas State University. I would like to thank you for granting me the Foundry Educational Foundation Scholarship. I am truly thankful for this aid since the price of tuition and books are steadily increasing year by year.
I am originally from Houston, Texas and I have lived there most of my life. I graduated from George Washington Carver High School in 2014. During my time there I was a member of various Technology clubs and honor societies throughout school. Many of the technology clubs and classes that I took part in led me to begin to become interested in engineering and metal casting. I was always interested in how things worked and, how they were made, and metal casting and engineering soon became one of my passions because of this. Engineering Technology and metal casting has always been a part of my life and what I like most about it is it allows me to meet various people in unique ways.
I am still very interested in metal casting and the industry, mainly because of how diverse and versatile it is. Metal casting has been around for many years and I have always believed it is a great field and would be an amazing industry to work in. My future plan is to complete college here at Texas State and to hopefully start a career in the manufacturing and metal casting industry. This scholarship will allow me to continue my education and studies while I remain in school. With the increasing cost of a college education this scholarship will allow me to get one step closer to my goal.
A.K. - Texas State 3/23/18
I wanted to say thank you for choosing me as one of the FEF scholarship recipients for 2018. I am looking forward to attending the Metalcasting Congress in Fort Worth this year and expanding my connections. I am particularly looking forward to the Women in Metalcasting Breakfast. Being a woman pursuing an engineering degree, I am used to being the only woman in a classroom, so I am interested to hear what the women in this predominantly male industry have to say.
I became interested in metal casting when I first took a foundry and heat treatment class at Texas State University last fall. In my three years of attending Texas State, I never knew that my school had a foundry, or that we were one of twenty schools in the U.S. that has one, so I was excited to take it. At first, I was a little apprehensive about the foundry lab, since pouring molten metal was never something I thought I would do, but after pouring for the first time, I was hooked. It became so fun to try and get the pour right and turn out solid, good looking parts. It was also pretty cool to see the look on people's faces after I told them I poured molten brass. After that it became a breeze and I was looking forward to my foundry lab every week. At the end of that semester my professor offered me a part time job working for her in the foundry being her lab assistant. I gladly accepted and am now an undergraduate instructional assistant where I get to share the fun of metal casting with other students. I get to talk to students from many different majors, and it is always fun to watch them pour for the first time.
Since I am an Environmental Engineering Technology major I wasn't sure how foundry fit into my degree program at first. However, after learning the inner workings of a small-scale foundry and touring an industrial foundry in Seguin, TX, I see that every foundry has waste that they create and that they must dispose of it in a safe and responsible manner. I like the idea of working for a company who creates useful products but is also a steward of the environment. After graduating this upcoming May, I hope to join a company who meets these values where I can grow my skills and apply my knowledge.
With this scholarship I hope to pay for graduation fees and hopefully put some funding towards the Environmental Engineering Student Organization that my peers and I created at Texas State, so that after I graduate the organization can go on.
Thank you again for the scholarship and for all that FEF does.
M.C. - Texas State 3/22/18
I am currently majoring in Mechanical Engineering Technology with a minor in Computer Science at Texas State University. I am also the secretary of our AFS chapter and a student worker for the Engineering Technology Department. I spend a lot of my time in the foundry and love every minute of it. I am extremely grateful and honored to be a recipient of an FEF scholarship. Your organization's generous donation will help me continue my education at Texas State University and pursue an internship and hopefully a job in the metalcasting industry upon graduation.
My interest in the metalcasting processes and industry was sparked by my enrollment in a foundry-based class and lab. It was there that I quickly realized the potential the metalcasting industry held for a future profession. More than that, I think that the entire process of making a casting and seeing the results is incredibly cool. The science that goes into every aspect from the molds to the materials is fascinating. As I continue to learn more about metalcasting I am only becoming more interested. I am incredibly appreciative of all the support FEF and AFS provide to the students like me who have a desire to learn and work in metalcasting. Your continued support not only enables me to further my education, but also makes so many of the activities held by our AFS chapter possible. It is your generosity that allows us to continue to reach out and spread the word about the opportunities held in the foundry industry.
My educational pursuits would not be possible without the generous support from scholarship sponsors like the FEF. Thank you so much for your continuous support to me and our AFS chapter at Texas State University!
D.B. - Texas State 3/21/18
I am extremely grateful to FEF for selecting me to receive the George Jones Scholarship. It was only this past year that I had heard about metal casting and all the career opportunities related to it. After joining AFS, attending the CIC in Chicago, and being offered summer internships from a variety of companies, I now cannot imagine working in any other field. If not for Dr. Dika Handayani, our Texas State University Chapter faculty advisor, and her continued commitment to AFS and the metal casting industry, I would have no idea what career to pursue after graduation and would not have known about FEF and the amazing things you do for students.
I have always enjoyed the hands-on aspects of engineering and would like my future career to be something I can be proud of. I cannot think of anything that would make me prouder than to work in a career where I can see a product go from a design, to a mold, and to a finished component ready to be installed. To me, this is the ultimate hands-on engineering.
With this scholarship, I will be able to take hours off from working my part time job to focus on classwork, completing my degree, and staying involved in AFS. Not long from now I will be attending the 122nd Metalcasting Congress, another incredible opportunity provided to me by FEF. I cannot begin to describe how FEF has impacted my life, but can say that I will always be grateful to this organization.
M.L. - Texas State 3/21/18
I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate being chosen for this scholarship and can't thank you enough. When first coming to college, I tried several majors before finding engineering technology. After taking my first foundry class, I fell in love. Metal casting is captivating because you can use the necessary tools to create something from nothing. The most fascinating thing about metal casting is the fact that changing one detail will result in a whole new structure. It is also a wonderful career and a rewarding experience.
My future plan for metal casting is to be able to work with a reputable company and metal casting looks like an exciting career. I absolutely love working in Texas State's foundry, and I hope to be able to continue the work I am doing and further expand my knowledge in metal casting. This great scholarship will assist me in achieving this goal because I believe it will set me apart from the other students. Thank you again for the amazing scholarship. I am so thankful to have been chosen and I greatly appreciate it.
A.T. - Texas State 3/21/18
I would first like to thank you all for selecting me as a Foundry Educational Foundation Scholarship Recipient. I really appreciate this opportunity because of my interest I recently made into metal casting. I was not aware of what metal casting was until I took my manufacturing class which dealt with a lot of metal casting. It gave me an idea of what it was and how to do it which brought to my attention that metal casting is the field I would like to get deeper in the future. As the years go by, there will be different types of ways the techniques in metal casting will change as technology advances. My future plan is to continue in this field and learn more details of the processes because it's something that was brought into my life and have enjoyed every bit of it in class and can't wait to explore it even more. Receiving this scholarship means a lot especially as a woman in engineering. It will help continue my future plan which is achieving my degree in Engineering Technology and working in the metal casting industry. This is a scholarship that will continue to guide me to focus on the importance of school, and continue to learn the aspects of metal casting.
C.S. - Texas State 3/21/18
I am writing this letter to express my sincere appreciation of being selected to receive the FEF scholarship. This award is special because the scholarship recognizes students who are eager to learn metal casting. The award also allows more opportunities to become available.
I am currently a senior, earning my engineering degree in manufacturing and I have recently taken more interesting classes that deal mainly with manufacturing. It was in my manufacturing process class where I first learned about metal casting and became intrigued by the idea. Metal casting is interesting because I never understood how antique metal objects were created. Although the process is one of the earliest to be used, the process is commonly used to this day.
My future plan is to be selected into the sure program at my university in order to conduct a research study based on the characteristics of metals. This scholarship will align perfectly with my plan as well as upcoming events.
Thank you very much for providing generous support to students such as myself. I will make sure to take advantage of the opportunity and utilize the award towards growing as an engineering professional.
A.D. - Texas State 3/20/18
I'm truly grateful for being selected as a scholarship recipient for the spring 2018 semester. Being a working full-time non-traditional student, this assistance will greatly help me focus my energy on transitioning from academics to a career.
Dr. Dika Handayani is fully responsible for my interest in the cast metals industry. As the key professor at Texas State she has supported the student's organizations, brought in quality presenters and made plant tours available to students.
My goals going forward are to use my skills to solve problems in the industry and put myself in a position to one day give back to the metal casting community. Your foundation has enriched the college experience for many students here at Texas State. Thank you for the work you do and your continued support of foundry education.
I.S. - Texas State 3/20/18
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you. I am very honored to be the recipient of this award.
I got interested in metal casting by being curious. Last year I started to expand my participation in organizations that are offered at Texas State and visited AFS for the first time. After visiting AFS and becoming interested in the organization, I gave up my role in another organization to become an officer in AFS so that I could get more involved. When I joined AFS I also joined FEF. We meet every week as officers, I became heavily involved in the organization. We have a great FEF teacher that took the time to help me work on my resume and got me more involved in metal casting by providing tours of foundries, having foundry day at school and that is when my interest in metal casting began to grow. I got to tour facilities and talk to the people in the industry and see what their jobs were like and that's when I knew I want to join the metal casting industry. I also plan on attending Metalcasting Congress this April to increase my knowledge in metalcasting.
I plan on working for the metal casting industry after I graduate. I have met many companies that I would be interested in working for after going to the CIC conference. My goal is to work for the metal casting industry in the future and then go back to school to get a graduate degree related to metal casting and continue to work for the metal casting industry. This scholarship will help me reach my future goals. Thank you for helping me achieve my goals.
S.P. - Texas State 12/14/17
Thank you to all members/staff on the FEF Board of Directors. The hospitality and generosity I experienced while in Chicago for CIC was second to none. Dr. Dika encouraged me to join and there has been only benefits for me since then. I will continue to encourage people to join and explore the opportunities available. Dr. Dika awarded me with a scholarship and I am very thankful for you guys giving her the ability to do that for me. I will do my best to pay it forward.
B.G. - Texas State 11/28/17
First and foremost, I would like you guys to know that I am extremely appreciative for the opportunity and the scholarship that FEF has provided me. None of it would be possible without you guys and the rest of the team. The amount of effort and the quality of the interactions that I've had with the FEF team has been unparalleled by any other student or professional organization.
Secondly, thank you very much for the opportunity to attend CIC. It was an unreal experience that I know had a tremendous impact on everyone that attended. The atmosphere and passion was contagious and energizing. I am looking forward to starting my career in the foundry industry and will be doing my best to lead others down the same path. Again, none of it would be possible without your hard work and the support of high caliber companies.
L.J. - Texas State 11/21/17
I wanted to extend my thanks to you. The CIC opened more doors for me than I could ever imagine. It is an absolutely wonderful thing that you work s very hard to put on for us. It is an opportunity that I take as a privilege to be able to attend.
I am a senior in college and I have never been to such a well organized event, let alone an outstanding networking opportuntity. From a student who wears the shoes that you once wore, I am truly grateful for what you have done for me, and I hope to open the same doors for the upcoming engineers, just as you did for me when I join the workforce.
I commend you on your efforts, and once again I thank you for every opportunity that was given to me. Without your help, this event would not have been possible.