MIA+BSI Offers Two Scholarships for the Natural Stone Industry
OBERLIN, Ohio / CHESTERTOWN, N.Y. – Two young industry members will be able to expand their career horizons with a pair of scholarships from MIA+BSI: The Natural Stone Institute – but deadlines to apply are approaching fast.
The opportunities involve two annual programs of the industry group — the Natural Stone Scholarship and the Women in Stone Empowerment Scholarship.
The Natural Stone Scholarship provides a trip to TISE 2018 in Las Vegas next January, where the winner will gain valuable technical and practical knowledge regarding the stone industry and will meet and network with leading stone professionals. The ideal candidate is a fabricator, installer or administrative apprentice with fewer than five years’ experience in the natural-stone industry, and at least six months experience working with an MIA+BSI member company.
“Winning the Natural Stone Scholarship was a great experience,” said 2016 winner Jan Ligas of Wilkstone in Paterson, N.J. “It helped me realize how big the stone industry in the United States is. The classes at TISE taught me specific new information in regards to the trade I work in. I met wonderful people there and I learned that consistency and patience can help me become successful in this business.”
The deadline to apply for the 2017 Natural Stone Scholarship is July 14.
The Women in Stone Empowerment Scholarship provides a trip to a 2018 stone industry event: either TISE, Coverings, or the MIA+BSI Study Tour. The winner will be given the opportunity to gain valuable technical and practical knowledge to deepen her commitment to a career in the stone industry and explore her potential for leadership.
The winner will also shadow industry professionals within different sectors of the stone industry. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of two years of experience, be currently employed by an MIA+BSI member company, and must be a first-time attendee of the chosen event.
“This scholarship, to say the least, changed not only the path of my career but also my personal life on many levels,” said Jessica Lussier, last year’s recipient from Granit Design in Stanstead, Quebec. “It helped put me on a professional map at a very young age—that would have taken years to reach without this opportunity. Every ‘go-getter’ woman in this industry deserves this chance, and should apply.”
The deadline to apply for the 2017 Women in Stone Empowerment Scholarship is Aug. 4.
To learn more about these scholarships and other MIA+BSI Industry Recognition Awards, please visit www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/awards.
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