Ohio Oil and Gas Scholarships Awarded to 62 Students

More than 60 students, including several from Stark County, have been awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program (OOGEEP) and Foundation. OOGEEP awarded the scholarships to students pursuing degrees in the oil and gas industry.

"We were very impressed with the caliber of students that applied for this year’s oil and gas scholarships. We are proud to be able to support these students as they continue their education,” said OOGEEP Scholarship Committee Chair Frank Gonzalez from GonzOil, Inc. (Canton, Ohio). "Since OOGEEP’s launch 20 years ago we have seen significant changes within our industry, including the substantial increase in the number of smart, ambitious, and hard-working women and men who are committing themselves to our industry’s success.”

This year, OOGEEP awarded 21 renewal and 41 new scholarships to students attending 27 institutions covering 17 majors. In addition to their studies, these students will engage in industry internships, co-ops and research studies throughout the year. The 62 scholarship winners may use the funds to attend an accredited college, university, technical or trade school of their choice. A list of winners can be found on the OOGEEP website at http://www.oogeep.org/teacher-students/scholarships/.

Among this year’s scholarship recipients are the following individuals from Stark County:

• -Duncan Freeland, from Minerva, Ohio, attends Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania, and is majoring in geology and environmental science. Freeland is a first-time OOGEEP scholarship recipient.
• -Johnathan Kungle from Uniontown, Ohio, attends Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio, and is majoring in petroleum engineering. Kungle is a first-time OGEEP scholarship recipient.
• -Madeline Lee from North Canton, Ohio, attends the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, and is majoring in corrosion engineering. Lee is a four-time OOGEEP scholarship recipient.
• -Jamison Molody from Alliance, Ohio, is a recent graduate of Marlington High School. He will be attending the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio to study corrosion engineering. Molody is a first-time OGEEP scholarship recipient.

In addition to the scholarship program, OOGEEP works with more than 90 Ohio colleges, universities, and career and technical schools that offer training for the 75 plus careers serving the natural gas and crude oil industry. Scholarship winners are engaged in a variety of studies including geology, engineering, welding, business management, chemistry, and energy resource management.

"Ohio’s natural gas and crude oil industry is helping to fuel our nation’s renewed energy independence," said OOGEEP Executive Director Rhonda Reda. "OOGEEP’s scholarship winners have and will continue to become significant contributors to a local industry that will soon become among the world’s largest energy producers."

To learn more about careers in Ohio’s oil and gas industry, including the list of local colleges, universities, career tech and vocational schools offering oil and natural gas specific degrees, certificates and training, visit http://www.oogeep.org/industry-workforce/careers/. Links to OOGEEP’s recently launched “Oil and Gas Careers in Ohio” video series can be viewed at www.youtube.com/user/OOGEEP1. This series of 28 modern career videos highlights more than 75 in-demand jobs within Ohio’s crude oil and natural gas industry.

The Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program (OOGEEP) is a non-profit statewide education and public outreach program. Created in 1998, OOGEEP provides a variety of programs throughout the State of Ohio. These programs primarily focus on teacher workshops, scholarships, science fair, firefighter training, industry training, career and workforce development, research and guest speaker programs.