Union Plus Scholarship Program provides more than a decade of higher education support for working families

The Union Plus Scholarship program is an example of the U.S. labor movement's commitment to higher education. Click here and learn more about the scholarship. Since 1992, Union Privilege, through the Union Plus Scholarship program has helped fulfill the educational dreams of students representing more than 13 million working families across the nation. Read about our 2010 Scholarship Video Winner.

The Union Plus Scholarship awards are presented annually to union members or members of their families who want to begin or continue their post-secondary education. 

In 2010, some 121 union members and union family members have been awarded $150,000 in scholarships, ranging from $500 to $4,000.

2010 Scholarship Winners

$4,000 Winners
Bridget B. Anderson, IAFF
Marissa Dale, AFT
Matthew Farver, AEA
Robert Firme, SIU
Emily Gee, UFCW
Megan M. Joyce, CWA-NABET
Hillary M. Karbowski, UAW
Holly J. LaCount, NALC
Laura Newman, AFGE
Brianna K. Pang, IFPTE
Russell E. Sperberg, SAG

$2,000 Winners
Yesenia Barragan, OPEIU
Meagan C. Bracken, IBEW
Steven W. Davis, AGMA
Justin Friedman, AFSCME

$1,500 Winners
Angela Bryan-Brown, IATSE
Joseph J. Pelter, UWUA
Amber Ridings, IBEW
Ana Saavedra, IUOE
April Sabbe, SEIU
Lindsay Schare, CSEA/AFSCME
Sara S. Schumann, AGMA
Luke E. Seppi, NALC
Cole R. Smith, UAW
Rachel G. Sousa, ILWU
Leisl Stonum, IUOE
Amanda Summers, SMWIA
Lezhi Wang, CWA
Anna L. Windham, AFM
Sean Wong, IRON
Victor Wong, IRON

$1,000 Winners
Waldie Anderson, AFM
Lukas L. Bell, UAW
Cassandra Beverly-Phelps, OPEIU
Abbie J. Birchwell, GCC-IBT
Victoria Bledsoe, ALPA
Monica Brase, AFT
Rudi T. Bredemeier, AFSCME
Aaron Cantor, AFSCME
Abhiraj Chowdhury, CSEA
Hannah Coleman, IATSE
Shirlana Dash, AFSCME
Brian C. Delfs, IAFF
Audrey Dorris, UMWA
John M. Ference, SEIU
Julianne C. Freeman, CSEA/AFSCME
Madeline Fumi, AFT
Sarah Goodman, CWA
Elizabeth Guerra, MEBA
Jarod Gunning, AFSCME
Daniel J. Harnish, IUOE
Kelly Hobson, IBEW
Zachary Holz, UFCW
Sylvana, Insua-Rieger, CSEA
Robert M. Irving, Jr., IAFF
Gregory R. Jimenez, CWA
Casey W. Jones, IUOE
Kendall Jones, IUPAT
Kyle A. Kane, IUPAT
Halima R. Karim, UFCW
Kyle J. Kemper, SMWIA
Connor Konz, NATCA
Neal T. Lacy, AFSCME
Kelsey Larson, IBEW
Maximilian Ling, CSEA
Yunqi Liu, IBEW
Joshua Lobel, CSEA/AFSCME
Danielle T. McDonald, AFT
Samantha Magyar, IBEW
Katherine S. Matulis, AFT
Toni McBroom, UAW
Angelique McGuire, IBEW
Lynda M. Meheula, SEIU
Patricia Miller, AFSCME
Heather M. Nennig, IUE-CWA
Adam Noreen, BAC
Julia M. Paxton, MEBA
Charles G. Rappazzo
Rachel Resnik, UNITE HERE
Christina L. Rickman, USW
Leesa M. Riviere, IAM
Lucy Rodriguez, AFGE
George T. Rowlen, AFT
Sali Salfiti, AFT
Nischay Shah, CSEA/AFSCME
Catherine Thomson, IUE-CWA

$750 Winners
David Aceves, AFSCME
Lisa M. Davis, IUOE
Greg Hutchison, LIUNA
Marianne Reinert, IUOE
Cody Rex, CWA
Amy Tribbey, AFTRA/SAG/AEA

$500 Winners
Josephine C. Ahrens, IATSE
John K. Atsalis, ALPA
Devin Barrett, NATCA
Courtney B. Barringtine, AFGE
Stephanie Bates, BCTGM
Brian P. Blumberg, IUOE
Kristina T. Bodnar, UFCW
Kimberly Carson, AFSCME
Joshua Crampsey, UFCW
Jack Giannini, AFSCME
Jacob Gregory, AFSCME
Michelle Grota, CWA
Jacob A. Harrison, USW
Amanda K. Kasch, IUOE
Catalina G. Lopez, LIUNA
Stasha Malcolm, CSEA
Michelle R. Mancuso, GMP
Marissa McGarry, AFT
Fai Murphy, IRON
David A. Oluwo, AFSCME
Jeanette M. Roberts, USW
Brittany Shaffer, BRS
Bobby Shuster, UWUA
Saoirse Stevenson, AFTRA
Patricia C. Sturz, IBEW
Rafferty J. Swink, IATSE
Sheena Tsai, AFSCME
Iheshi B. Williamson, UFCW
Juan Yepez, Jr., IBEW

 

Challenging Process

The students selected for awards represent a wide sampling of demographics, union affiliations, goals and accomplishments. Representatives from the American Association of Community Colleges, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and the United Negro College Fund judged the applications.

According to the judges, the caliber of students this year made the selection process very challenging. The students are from diverse backgrounds, and as a whole, they received top SAT scores, were well-rounded in their studies and extracurricular activities, and they understood the value of working families and union membership.
 

How the Scholarship Program Works

In addition to demonstrated academic ability, applicants submitted essays of no more than 500 words describing their career goals, detailing their relationship with the labor movement, and explaining why they are deserving of a union scholarship.

The program is open to union members, their spouses and dependent children of unions that are participating in any Union Plus program. Individuals must be accepted into an accredited college or university, community college or recognized technical or trade school at the time the award is issued. Members do not have to purchase any Union Plus program product or participate in any Union Plus program to apply.

The Union Plus Scholarship Program is offered through the Union Plus Education Foundation.
 

Applications
 

For information about obtaining the Union Plus Scholarship application, click here. Each year, the application deadline is January 31 and chosen scholarship recipients' names are announced May 31. Due to the high volume of applications, only winners receive notification.