Kentucky has awarded $1,000 scholarships to four students who are participants in Workforce Investment Act (WIA) programs administered by the Hazard-based Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. (EKCEP).

Brenda Ball, Florence Fields, Ashley Taylor, and Ginger Yeary were among 30 Kentuckians statewide who received 2006 Education at Work Scholarships from the Kentucky Department for Workforce Investment at a July 11 ceremony at the Capitol Rotunda in Frankfort. Also among the recipients were Shannon Christman, Joey Couch, Erika Maynard, and Kevin Williams, all eastern Kentuckians who are enrolled in other programs administered by partners in EKCEP’s JobSight network of workforce centers.

The scholarships are presented annually to students pursuing postsecondary education with the assistance of at least one of the employment and training programs or services affiliated with the Department for Workforce Investment or the Kentucky Department for Adult Education.

Certificates were presented to the winners by Kentucky First Lady Glenna Fletcher and Education Cabinet Secretary Virginia Fox. Laura Owens, commissioner for the Department for Workforce Investment, also took part in the ceremony.

“I believe that getting a postsecondary education is one of the smartest decisions anyone can make to improve their lives, the lives of their families and the future of Kentucky,” Fox said. “It is exciting for our cabinet to help our scholarship winners pursue their education and careers and participate in their success.”

Each of the winners used at least one Department for Workforce Investment program or service in pursuing his or her education. In eastern Kentucky, such services are delivered by community action agencies under contract with EKCEP. EKCEP administers those workforce services in 23 eastern Kentucky counties through its JobSight network of workforce centers.

Winners were chosen for the scholarships based on essays they wrote describing how Kentucky’s state brand—“Unbridled Spirit”—relates to their educational and career goals. About 200 Kentuckians applied for the scholarships. Each was nominated by a WIA career adviser who submitted their essays and two letters of character reference to the Department for Workforce Investment. Winners can use the scholarships for tuition, books, and lab and technology fees.

In the eight years of the scholarship competition the cabinet has awarded 210 scholarships totaling $120,000. This year, the individual scholarship amount increased from $500 to $1,000.

Details about the scholarship winners from the EKCEP area appear below.

Brenda Ball, 53, of Louisa, is a social work student at Morehead State University. She received financial assistance and career counseling through WIA programs delivered by the Northeast Kentucky Area Development Council in Lawrence County. In her essay, Ball wrote that she considers herself an “unbridled spirit” and that she looks forward to beginning a career in social work to “help others unbridle their spirits.”

“At the age of 53, I will become a full-time nontraditional college student,” she said. “I will fulfill my dream for a college education and be employed at a job where I can make a difference in my community.”

Florence Fields, 20, of Hallie, is a student in Eastern Kentucky University’s social work program offered through the University Center of the Mountains. She received financial assistance and career counseling through WIA programs delivered by the L.K.L.P. Community Action Council in Letcher County. Fields was nominated by WIA Career Adviser Tina Farler.

Fields, a single mother, wrote that it would have been very difficult for her to work toward her dream of becoming a social worker without the WIA’s assistance that covered her tuition, books, transportation and childcare expenses.

“As a student who attends two colleges concurrently, my schedule has been full and my pockets empty,” Fields said. “I cannot display enough appreciation for the financial support that has allowed me to go this far in college.”

Ashley Taylor, 19, of Hindman, is studying physical therapy at Hazard Community and Technical College. She received financial assistance and career counseling through WIA programs delivered by the L.K.L.P. Community Action Council in Knott County. Taylor was nominated by WIA Career Adviser Bobbie Slone.

Taylor said that without financial aid and the WIA’s assistance that helped cover costs for her college-related transportation, books, and supplies, it would have been “nearly impossible” for her to pursue her goal of becoming a physical therapist.

“I first contemplated becoming a physical therapist after teaching and forming friendships with physically handicapped students at my high school,” Taylor wrote. “Their drive to overcome their physical limitations moved me in a powerful way. Those students, and others like them, are true epitomes of ‘Unbridled Spirit.’”

Ginger Yeary, 42, of Hindman, is an accounting student at Morehead State University. Like Taylor, Yeary received financial assistance and career counseling through WIA programs delivered by the L.K.L.P. Community Action Council in Knott County, and was nominated by WIA Career Adviser Bobbie Slone.

Yeary wrote that prior to discovering the WIA Dislocated Worker Program in 2004, she was unemployed and “without hope for a better life.” Thanks to the program’s support, she got the opportunity to complete the college education she had begun years before and train for a new career.

“I have discovered through (this) help … that no matter what obstacles I have to overcome, I can still accomplish my dreams,” she said.

Scholarship winners who participated in other JobSight partner programs included:

•    Shannon Christman, 27, of Hazard, a counseling student at Lindsey Wilson College. Christman was served by the Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.

•    Joey Couch, 22, of Busy, a business student at Hazard Community and Technical College. Couch was served by the Kentucky Office for the Blind.

•    Erika Maynard, 18, of Inez, who plans to major in pre-medicine at Eastern Kentucky University. Maynard was served by the Kentucky Office of Career and Technical Education.

•    Kevin Williams, 18, of Jeremiah, who plans to study accounting at Eastern Kentucky University. Williams was served by the Kentucky Office of Career and Technical Education.