2021 Scholarship Winners
High School Scholarship Recipient: Harley W. Dillard
After graduating high school, I plan to attend Kennesaw State University and majoring in Business Administration. After completing my four-year degree, I wall prepare for the LSAT and attend Law School with the ultimate goal of becoming a lawyer.
Collegiate Scholarship Recipient: Marlee Anne Hopkins
I am currently a Freshmen at the University of Georgia majoring in Human Development and Family Sciences with an emphasis in Child Life. I am also working towards getting my M.S. in Child Life to one day become a Certified Child Life Specialist.
One AWWA Scholarship Recipient: Noah Fayard
Clean water….? It’s something that most of us take for granted. No one ever gives thought to the processes that have to occur for us to have it, I know I never did. That is until my father became a wastewater treatment operator.
Making clean water may not be glamorous but it is essential. Creating a sustainable water treatment program takes years of planning and evolving to be able to balance public need, environmental concerns, and affordability for the community. We must be able to recover and recycle the freshwater we do have in a timely manner. The future of water is dependent on people being educated about these programs.
This scholarship will allow me to attend classes at GWWI to prepare for the Class 3 Drinking Water test. After passing the test, I plan to obtain my Class 3 Water License and move forward towards a career as a water professional.
The water industry as a whole needs more skilled people. This is my first step on a path to being the best operator that I can be, and will provide the water industry with one more quality worker that has the drive to do what it takes to succeed. For me, it’s an opportunity to better not only myself, but also the community and the environment.
One AWWA Scholarship Recipient: Amanda Willis
Amanda Willis knows a lot about her hometown of Carlton, Georgia. She know that with a population of 250 people and a total of 169 water accounts, the city is rated #4 in the State of Georgia and is qualified as a Very Small Water System. How does she know this information? Amanda serves on the city council and as Mayor Pro tem, spending much of her time reviewing water infrastructure projects for future city growth, and recently assisted with creating a digital map of the city’s water system.
Currently a Class 3 Certified water and wastewater operator, this passion for her hometown’s future and her water awareness prompted her to apply for a WRT scholarship to fund additional water treatment and wastewater certification courses.
WRT is a remediation company addressing contaminant removal and water quality concerns. It is a sponsor of the One AWWA Operator Scholarship program and hopes to award over fifteen scholarships in 2021-2022.
In her scholarship application, Amanda wrote “I want to be a leader in providing clean water for our area with maintaining a local working knowledge of our systems as well as fostering innovation in our growth as we address steady incoming residential and commercial establishments. I look forward to partnering with AWWA and WRT to attend conferences outside my area and gain knowledge from other successful water systems.”
She is excited to be an AWWA member and is interested in connecting via email at greenresource108@gmail.com.