Mining engineering students selected for scholarships by Gimme Foundation and Martin Marietta

(Top row pictured from left to right) Dawson Apple, El Hacen Saleh, Emily Carroll, Gabriela Kosakowski, Jared Broyles and Brian Welsh. (Bottom row pictured from left to right) Jared Morse, Mackenzie Stone, Maxwell Schafer, Megan Sibley and Miky Alves.

Mining engineering undergraduate students in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources have been selected for scholarships by the Gimme Foundation and Martin Marietta to support their academic studies at West Virginia University. 

Story by Adrianne Uphold, Graduate Assistant

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Eight mining engineering students have received a total of $38,500 from the Gimme Foundation Board of Directors. To be selected for the scholarships, students were required to go through an extensive interview process, competing for scholarships ranging from $1,500-$8,000 per student. 

The Gimme Foundation was established in 2004 to provide scholarships to mining engineering students enrolled at Pennsylvania State University and West Virginia University.

“I am grateful to the Gimme Foundation and Martin Marietta Materials who financially supported our students through these scholarships,” Robert E. Murray Chair and Professor of Mining Engineering Vladislav Kecojevic said. “These funds make a significant positive impact on our students, and we thank them for continuous support over the years.”

Gimme Foundation Scholarship Recipients

Gabriela Kosakowski, a senior mining and civil engineering student from Cleveland, Ohio.

“I appreciate being able to give 110% to my education,” Kosakowski said. “Working throughout the school year is very challenging and I am thankful that I have the opportunity to direct my focus towards classes rather than how I will be able to pay for next semester’s tuition.”

Maxwell Schaefer, a senior mining engineering student from Medina, Ohio. 

“As a student pursuing a degree in mining engineering, while paying my own way through college, the scholarship from the Gimme Foundation relieves financial stress,” Schaefer said. “This has allowed me to focus my studies and work hard towards landing a dream job within the field of mining. I am forever thankful for the Gimme Foundation's graciousness towards me.”

Jared Broyles, a senior mining engineering and civil engineering student from Princeton, West Virginia.

“The Gimme Foundation will help me to relieve the financial burden of school,” Broyles said. “This will give me the opportunity to focus on my degree and my future career.”

Emily Carroll, a senior mining engineering student from Salisbury, Maryland.

“I am truly thankful for this scholarship to help relieve the stress from financial burden and be able to focus more on schoolwork and achievements,” Carroll said. 

El Hacen Saleh, a senior mining and civil engineering from Mauritania. 

“The Gimme Foundation scholarship means a lot to me as it will help me reduce some of the financial loads along my journey of completing a bachelor’s degree,” Saleh said. “I am very grateful for this gift.”

Jared Morse, a senior mining engineering student from Earleville, Maryland.

“My grandfather once told me that the value of education is priceless, and will forever be my greatest tool,” Morse said. “With the cost of attending a four-year program getting higher, the generously awarded the Gimme Foundation scholarship will better enable my ability to afford my degree and pursue a career as a mine engineer.”

Dawson Apple, a senior mining engineering student from Franklin, West Virginia.

“The Gimme Foundation’s generous support to myself and fellow students will make up the difference in higher education costs and allow me to attain a degree and go on to improve the public’s perception of the mining industry,” Apple said.

Mackenzie Stone, a senior mining engineering and geology student from Wellsburg, West Virginia. 

“I am so thankful to receive one of these scholarships so graciously provided by the Gimme Foundation this year,” Stone said. “This award not only helps me with funding my final year of college at WVU but removes the worry of the financial burden so many students like myself can face as a completely independent individual. I’m in the final stretch and this is the last push I need to graduate and become a successful engineer in my professional career.”

Martin Marietta Scholarship Recipients 

Four students received scholarships from Martin Marietta, totaling $7,000. These scholarships are given to mining engineering undergraduate students on an annual basis.

Gabriela Kosakowski, a senior mining and civil engineering student from Cleveland, Ohio.

MiKy Alves, a junior mining and civil engineering student from Bryans Road, Maryland.

“This scholarship will allow me the privilege of financial stability in my efforts to continue my college education,” Alves said. “In hopes that one day, I could not only work and contribute to the engineering field but hopefully start my own engineering firm. With this, I hope to have a greater impact on my community and the world as a whole.”

Megan Sibley, a senior mining and civil engineering student from Tampa, Florida. 

“This scholarship is helping ensure that I can afford a fifth year of college so that I can pursue my dual degree in mining and civil Engineering,” Sibley said. 

Brian Welsh, a senior mining and civil engineering student from Brookeville, Maryland.

“My family and I are greatly appreciative of this scholarship for it will be able to support me through the semester, so I am able to focus entirely on my college studies to perform to the best of my ability and use what I have learned for my future career,” Welsh said.

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