Deadline for 2004 GAAS Scholarship Is March 31, Applications Available Online

The deadline to apply for a Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) scholarship awarded to students planning an aftermarket career is Wednesday, March 31, 2004.
Applications for the GAAS scholarships are available in both paper and electronic versions from the Web site, www.automotivescholarships.com.
The GAAS scholarship program presented 181 awards in 2003, 136 to students in vo-tech schools. Scholarships also were awarded to 22 Canadian students and 23 students in four-year colleges or universities. In the seven years the scholarship has been presented, nearly 700 students have received aid totalling nearly $800,000.
The annual investment to help develop future aftermarket industry leaders is funded through proceeds from the annual Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium. This two-day program brings together numerous industry executives and examines the issues and trends affecting the automotive aftermarket industry and influencing its future. The 2004 event is set for Tuesday and Wednesday, May 18-19, at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare, Chicago, Ill. Details are at www.globalsymposium.org.
The scholarships are available to students in two-year technical college programs and vocational schools and four-year college programs. To be eligible for a GAAS scholarship, applicants must be enrolled full-time in a college-level program or a NATEF (National Automotive Technician Education Foundation) accredited automotive technical program. Graduate programs and part-time undergraduate programs do not qualify.
The GAAS scholarship also is unique in that recipients can receive two financial grants: one while in school to assist with tuition and an equivalent grant awarded to scholarship recipients who graduate from their program and show proof of employment as technicians in the automotive aftermarket for at least six months after graduation.
Scholarship applications also are available from the industry associations who sponsor GAAS. Applicants can also contact the University of the Aftermarket at 816-523-8118 or Jobie Dowd at 919-549-4800 (jdowd@mema.org) for applications.
A separate application for Canadian students is available from the Automotive Industries Association (AIA) of Canada at 613-728-5821, or at the organization’s Web site: www.aiacanada.com.