Congrats to Questa's Scholarship Recipients!

Questa is excited to announce the scholarship recipients for 2018!

Every year Questa Education Foundation offers several scholarships for current Questa Scholars and non-scholars in the Northeast Indiana community. These students have been chosen for excellence in their academic performance throughout their college career. Questa is proud to announce the scholarship recipients of the following scholarships:

• Virgil J. & Mildred C. Roy Scholarship
• Edward C. Dodez Scholarship
• Walter & Lucille Beckman Scholarship
• Gregory Hosler Wilson Scholarship
• Venette M. and Mabel M. Sites Scholarship

---

Roy Scholarship Recipients

This award is designated for nursing students who are pursuing a bachelors’ degree in nursing at either Purdue Fort Wayne, Indiana University Fort Wayne or the University of Saint Francis. The scholarship dollars help to support our local students by reducing their education costs. Questa congratulates the following scholars: 

University of Saint Francis Nursing Students:

• Breanna Hinshaw
• Morgan Smith
• Nicole Coleman

Purdue Fort Wayne & Indiana University Fort Wayne Nursing Students:

• Aubrey Brinneman
• Mariah Geels
• Amanda Holland
• Mary Podlaski
• Tarandeep Sran
• Kendra Amaya-Miranda
• Whitney Green
• Celina Jones
• Samantha Luick

---

Dodez Scholarship Recipients

The Edward C Dodez Scholarship assists Indiana students who are attending Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. Four students from around the state of Indiana have received $5,000 to assist in the cost of their education at Dartmouth for the Fall 2018 semester.

Nathanael Boone - St. Joseph County, Sophomore, studying Engineering Sciences

Ethan Cook - Kosciusko County, Junior, studying Mathematics

Rachel Kent - Marion County, Sophomore, studying Geography

Katelyn Zeser - Elkhart County, Freshman, studying Government

---

Beckman Scholarship Recipients

These scholarship recipients are majoring in Education or Social Work and have been chosen for excellence in their college academic performance by maintaining at least a 3.0 GPA or higher during college.

Questa would like to congratulate the following students:

Mary Greuter - attending Anderson University, graduated from Lakewood Park Christian School

Danielle Straits - attending Taylor University, graduated from Warsaw Community High School

Heather Stichter - attending Anderson University, graduated from Triton High School

---

Wilson Scholarship Recipients 

Recipients of the Wilson Scholarship have been chosen for excellence in their college academic performance by maintaining at least a 3.0 GPA or higher during college. Each student will be receiving between $500 to $1,500 in a scholarship award. We also want to recognize the colleges they are attending and the high schools from which they graduated. 

Benjamin Bailey - attending Purdue Fort Wayne, graduate of Blackhawk Christian Jr/Sr High School

Cole Bechtold - attending Rose-Hulman, graduate of Whitko High School

Leia Edmondson - attending Rose-Hulman, graduate of Horizon Christian Academy

Creanna Johnson - attending Purdue University Lafayette, graduate of Canterbury High School

Andrew Mauch - attending Purdue Fort Wayne, graduate of Bishop Luers High School

---

Sites Scholarship Recipients

Questa Education Foundation recently awarded $117,000 through the Venette M and Mabel M Sites Scholarship to 73 Allen County public high school graduates.  These scholars received individual awards ranging from $500 - $2,500 for excellence in their college academic performance by maintaining at least a 3.0 GPA during their college career. We are proud to announce the following students, and acknowledge the high school from which they graduated. Congratulations scholars!

Carroll: Connor Burgess, Sydney Ulrey, Anthony Ohneck, Logan Jester, Stone Miguel, Kelsiey Cicora, Madison Kilgus, Cassidy Forbing, Alexandra Harvey, Caleb DeLieto, Natalie Grose, Victoria Grose

East Allen University: Benjamin Sendo, Nicole Winans, Katherine Watson

Heritage: Branson Dossen, Kimberlie Kline, Veronica Hare, Rozlynn Everhart, Nicole Rothgeb

Homestead: Courtney McGrew, Rebekah Zvers, Lindley Kistler, Scott Creech, Luis Rodriguez Perez

Leo: Rebecca Kimball, Hannah Fowerbaugh, Jordan Eldridge, Rebecca Lessig, Morgan Sanderson, Mackenzie Joefreda, Eduardo Cruz, Ian Thompson, Logan Sagstetter

New Haven: Adam Hoffer, Anika Hoffer, Zachary Watson, Matthew Mensing,

North Side: Logan Ankney, Priscilla Baltazard, Isabelle Harrison, Soe San

Northrop: Joshua Mahon, Matthew Mast, Jailyn Krantz, Juan Gonzalez-Rangel, Caitline Southern, Kristen Borntreger, Lejla Hrustic

Snider: Mariah Thomas, Heidi Schneeman, Jennifer Peppler, Mmiranda Durnell, Maria Barrera, Naomi Vanderleest, Rylee Marks, Taylor Davis, Adam Veeley, Jacob Claycomb, Carly Geier, Catherine Birch

South Side: Katherine Sheppard, Kendra Shadle

Wayne: Jillian Findlay, Kyle Pessefall

Wayne New Tech: Sara Livengood, Alyssa Vance, Daymon Marlowe

Woodlan: Alyssa Garver, Rebekah Dignal, Loren Hahn, Paige Stutzman, Ashley Osborn

---

Congratulations to all of the hard working students who earned these scholarships! For more information on how you can apply for these scholarships, please visit the scholarship tab.

Job Searching

Job Searching: Tips, Resources and Encouragement from the Questa team

You just graduated college and it's time for the real world. No more classes or studying (breathe a sigh of relief), but now it's time to search for a job. Finding the right job that you're qualified for can be a taxing, stressful process. These are some tips from the Questa team to get through this time of searching. Read on and find job positions available in Northeast Indiana from Questa's partners and funders.

Tips & Tricks

1. Don't be discouraged if you don't hear back. Often times it can take a month or two to hear back from a job you've applied for, or you don't hear back at all. Don't be discouraged! It's not because you aren't qualified or couldn't be a great fit for the company. Continue to apply at other companies.

2. Use your connections. Go down your list of Facebook and LinkedIn friends. Where do they work? They may know of a job opening in the company they work for, or could put in a good word for you. After all, "it's who you know."

4. Try another internship & do your research. If you are fresh out of college, you may not have the needed experience for your dream job. Ask yourself: what do I want to do? Do some research and find out what it would take to land that position and possibly apply for an internship to get more experience. This will add more valuable experience to your resume - plus a job might come from it!

5. You may not find your dream job right away - and that's ok! It takes time to find that right fit. Don't get too set on one thing. Now is the time to explore your options.

6. Don't rule it out. Before you choose whether a job is right for you or not just by looking at the title, dig a little deeper and see what it's all about. You may be more qualified than you think, and it might sound interesting.

“Network, network, network...
talk to your friends, friends of friends, parents’ friends, next door neighbors, your teachers, coaches and others who know you. Keep the network aware of your interests, status and motivation. It’s like dropping a stone in the lake and the ripples move out. They can touch the shore and bounce back or keep on drifting. The more ripples the more movement and potential impact.”

— Marc Levy, Questa's Executive Director

---

Not sure where to start looking?

Grab a cup of coffee, your updated resume, and your laptop and try searching for jobs at Questa's partner companies and organizations. These companies are dedicated to investing in and keeping talent in the Northeast Indiana area. They may be looking for someone like you! 

Auer Center for Arts and Culture | Arts United - searching for Education Specialists, Development Officers, and Event Associates!

Brotherhood Mutual Insurance - Even if you think insurance isn't your world, Brotherhood is not only searching for Underwriters and Program Analysts, but Web Designers & Developers!

Fort Wayne Metals

Steel Dynamics

Lake City Bank

Sweetwater Sound

Parkview Hospital - not just for nurses! Parkview also has IT, Communications/Marketing, and HR positions available. 

3Rivers Credit Union

Greater Fort Wayne, Inc.

---

Search for jobs within your county

Adams - Government and community jobs available

Allen - Opportunities in teaching, project management, nursing, and environmental health!

DeKalb - Internship opportunities with DeKalb County Probation, Program Facilitator for CHANGE Academy, and more

Huntington - Dispatcher & Jailer positions open

Kosciusko

LaGrange - Positions open include 911 Dispatcher, Deputy Assessor, and Jail Officer

Noble

Steuben- Environmental Health Specialist, Equipment Operator, Road Control, EMS Director, Paramedic

Wabash

Wells

Whitley

---

Look at Colleges

Finding employment at a college is a great transition from college life to a career, plus you already have great connections with faculty, advisers, and staff at the college you attended. Start looking at the current openings with Questa's partner schools in the Northeast Indiana area.

Indiana Tech

Indiana University Fort Wayne

Ivy Tech

Grace College

Huntington University

Manchester University

Purdue Fort Wayne

Trine University

University of Saint Francis

“Don’t give up! I applied for over 30 different jobs within Indiana and in other states. Not hearing back can be difficult (seriously - I felt like not hearing back was worse than a “no”), but it’s better to try than wish you had! Your efforts will pay off.”

— Hillary Troup, Questa's Scholar & Marketing Speciliast

3 New Board Members

Questa Education Foundation is governed by our Board of Directors, a dedicated group of volunteers comprised of directors, leaders, and educators in our community. Together our goal is to retain talent here in Northeast Indiana to improve our economy. We do this by financially helping students through low-interest forgivable loans and scholarship opportunities. Questa needs the support of it's board members and community partners to continue serving students well.

We want to thank our previous Secretary James Koday with Barrett McNagny LLP, as well as our Sr. Vice President & Manager Wealth from Lake City Bank, John Steiner. We also thank the late Frances Ganaway for her donations and service on our board. Her great commitment to helping students will not be forgotten.

Below is a list of our new board members, and a little bit about them. They will be serving with us until 2021. Welcome to the Questa team!

Derek Lamle

Accountant | Katz, Sapper & Miller

Derek is a graduate of Columbia City High school (2012) and Manchester University (2016) and is now an audit senior with the CPA firm Katz, Sapper, & Miller, LLP in their downtown Fort Wayne office. He is a Questa scholar alumni and avid proponent of Northeast Indiana. In his free time Derek enjoys visiting his friends in different areas of the country, playing sports, particularly softball and golf now that his competitive playing days are over, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

John Kazcmarczyk

President | Press-Seal Corporation

John is a thirty-seven-year industrial executive mentor of people, processes, and continuous improvement. He has spent twenty-four of those years sharpening his competences within Tier One Automotive, supporting the likes of the Big Three and Transnational companies. Privileged during his tenure to cultivate no less than nine Brown Field start-ups while receiving twice Supplier of the Year from General Motors and several product patents along the passage. He currently holds the position as the President of Press-Seal Corporation where for the last four years he has been a driving force bringing the community together in an effort to find the Next Generation of Providers. He resides north of Fort Wayne with his wife of 33 years.  

Shenita Bolton

Director of College Readiness | Fort Wayne Community Schools

Shenita V. Bolton is the K-12 College and Career Readiness Manager at Fort Wayne Community Schools.  She has a strong passion for working with a diversity of students to ensure they have access and the necessary knowledge and skills to pursue their college and career goals.

Shenita completed her undergraduate degree in theater arts at Earlham College and earned her Master of Education degree at Earlham in 2011. She was employed at Earlham College for twenty years and served as the director of admissions, working closely with the Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing to develop and execute recruitment strategies prior to relocating to Fort Wayne, Indiana three years ago.

She enjoys traveling and has the opportunity to lead missions trips and service trips across the globe.

Welcome New Scholars!

Questa Scholars Funded, Talent Retained in Our Community

Questa Education Foundation is excited to announce 71 new scholars into the Traditional Scholars program.

These students have recently graduated from high school and will be entering college this fall as freshmen. Through the Questa Scholars program, our scholars will be given low-interest forgivable loans to help reduce their college debt. Each of our scholars have unique stories and important aspirations. At Questa, we want to invest in these learners to help them graduate with less debt, explore their passions, and become the talent we need that will improve our local economy.

Questa’s goal is to help with the talent gap. One of our scholars from Burma, now a Fort Wayne resident, shares how she felt when she found out she was accepted as a Questa Scholar, “I am very blessed to be chosen as a Questa Scholar. This program allows me to continue my education with an understanding that many of my financial burdens are lighter because of the forgivable loan program that Questa offers. I feel that I will be able to manage my financial situation better.” Naw Sar Do graduated from Northside High School and plans to attend IU Bloomington to study Physics. Her plans are to move back to the Northeast Indiana area upon graduation to represent the Burmese community in the healthcare field and to be a link to those who do not have access to healthcare.

Student loan debt has surpassed national credit card debt reaching $1.21 trillion, and Questa’s goal to reduce the debt that your scholars have upon graduation. Questa scholars graduate with less debt and receive forgivable loans that are easy to pay off. Our one-of-a-kind funding provides the possibility of receiving loan forgiveness for as much as 75% of the total loan amount! By attending a partner school, students will receive 25% forgiveness, and an additional 50% forgiveness by living and working in the area for five years after graduation..

Questa scholars that have graduated are becoming the talent we need for a thriving economy. Of the students that have graduated in the Questa Scholars program, 80% are graduating in 4 years compared to the national average of 59%.

In addition, over 70% are either staying or return to live and work in our region. The result of the Questa program is, in fact, talent retained in our communities.

A scholar from Whitley County, and a recent graduate from Purdue Fort Wayne, Ali McQueen shares how Questa helped her through her education, “During my senior year of high school, I knew that my four years of college were going to be paid for out of my own pocket. I decided to apply for the Questa program, and now I only owe a small portion of the full loan. It puts me at ease knowing I am not going to be in debt from my college loans for years and years to come.” Ali plans to give back to her community through her Elementary Education degree, and to be a positive influence in young lives in the area.

Questa invests in the lives of these students, so they can thrive and continue to use their talents in the Northeast Indiana workforce. Traditional students, as mentioned above, drive only one part of our strategy. Individuals who did not complete an education, but are already in the workforce, can also be the talent we need with more education or training. Industry Certifications, Associate, and Bachelor degrees are all ways to access livable wage jobs.

How can you help? Become a partner with Questa and help by providing funds for current and future talent needs. The support of our funders and donors is vital for Questa to be able to carry out this mission. Find out more about our forgivable loan programs and how you can partner with us at www.questafoundation.org or give us a call at 260-407-6494.