The Gianforte Family Foundation recently awarded scholarships totaling $32,500 to 33 advanced manufacturing students at Flathead Valley Community College. The students will use the scholarships to help cover the cost of tuition this semester.

The Gianforte Family Foundation established a fund in 2015 to award $500,000 in scholarships over two years to students studying manufacturing at Montana’s two-year colleges.

The fund was established in conjunction with RevUp Montana, a statewide workforce development project supported by a $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration.    

Of the 33 scholarship recipients from FVCC, eight students are enrolled in the Electronics Technician Program, nine are enrolled in the Welding and Fabrication Technology Program, seven are enrolled in the Welding and Inspection Technology Program, eight are enrolled in the Industrial Machine Technology Program and one student is enrolled in the Industrial Maintenance Program.

Jared Kesterson is one of the machining students who received a scholarship. Originally from the Swan Valley, he worked at a sawmill before coming to FVCC to pursue his education.

In addition to his studies, Kesterson tutors other FVCC students in MasterCAM and Solidworks. After graduation, he hopes to secure a job in a machine shop to gain more experience in the trade and eventually open his own business.

“The scholarship will help me achieve my goals by allowing me to focus more on my schooling and less on trying to work to pay the bills,” Kesterson said. “It will also help keep my student loan debt lower, which will help me to get out of debt faster after I leave college so I can begin to save capital for my own business.”

For more information, visit www.fvcc.edu or contact FVCC navigator Will Richards at 756-4862.