Union Plus scholarships Archives

With the new year in full swing, it’s time to begin applying for scholarships for the 2023-24 school year. If you have a child or grandchild in college or about to attend college, now is the time to do your research and apply.

Some scholarships you might consider applying for are administered by the SMART-TD Auxiliary, UTUIA and Union Plus.

The Auxiliary of the United Transportation Union Scholarship by the SMART-TD Auxiliary is available to members of the SMART-TD Auxiliary who are in good standing, their children, step-children, grandchildren or step-grandchildren aged 25 or younger. This $1,000 scholarship is renewable for up to four years (for a total of $4,000) and the application period is January 1 – March 31. See the SMART-TD Auxiliary website for official rules and requirements and for instructions on how to apply.

The UTUIA administers a number of different scholarships. Of note is their college scholarship and trade school scholarship programs. Each kind of scholarship is available to UTUIA insurance policyholders, their children or grandchildren and offers 50 $2,000 scholarships. The college scholarship is renewable up to four years and the trade school scholarship is renewable up to two years. See the UTUIA website for official rules and requirements and instructions on how to apply to these and other scholarships offered by the UTUIA. The application period is Jan. 16 – March 31.

Union Plus awards $500 – $4,000 scholarships to members of participating unions, their spouses and their dependent children. Applications are due by January 31 each year. Visit the Union Plus scholarship page to learn more. Below is a list of SMART members who won scholarships from Union Plus last year.

Name of Scholarship Winner & Amount	SMART Local	Affiliated SMART Member
Dalton Altimus – $500	TD Local 426	Scott Altimus
Katelyn Bale – $1,000	SM Local 73	Raymond Bale
Ethan Beightol – $500	TD Local 631	Aaron Beightol
Maya Garcia – $1,000	SM Local 104	Angelo Garcia
Zachary Palazzotto – $1,000	TD Local 645	Andrew Palazzotto
Erin Robinson – $2,000	SM Local 17	William Robinson
Marissa Ward – $550	SM Local 486	James Ward

SMART-TD features 16 scholarship programs on our scholarship webpage from our affiliates and other outside organizations within the rail, bus and airline industries that you, your children or grandchildren may be eligible for. At the bottom of the page are links to free scholarship databases that also may be of interest.

SMART-TD does not maintain its own scholarship program, nor does it oversee or otherwise play any role in the administration of any scholarships listed on our website. The scholarship programs listed on our website are solely responsible for the administration of their own scholarships. Any questions about these scholarships should be directed to the individual program and not SMART-TD.

If you know of a transportation-related scholarship that is not listed and that our members or their children or grandchildren may be eligible for, please let us know by emailing news_td@smart-union.org. Please include the sponsor, name of scholarship and the web address where more information can be found.

The Sheet Metal Division of SMART maintains its own scholarship page exclusively for Sheet Metal members and their families.

WINNERS HONORED FOR ACHIEVEMENT AND UNION VALUES

Washington, D.C. – Union Plus recently awarded $250,000 in scholarships to 199 students representing 37 unions, including eight winners representing SMART. The SMART winners are:

Noah Berning of Monroeville, Indiana

Berning, whose father, Mark Berning, is a member of SMART Local 20, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship.

Evan Bock of Rantoul, Illinois

Bock, whose father, Christopher Bock, is a member of SMART Local 1358, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship.

Grace Brodarick of Southold, New York

Brodarick, whose father, Christopher Brodarick, is a member of SMART Local 645, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship.

Miranda Garcia of Fresno, California

Garcia, whose father, Angelo Garcia, is a member of SMART Local 104, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship.

Kaysa Kurtz-Merwin of Rocky Ford, Colorado

Kurtz-Merwin, whose father, Anthony Merwin, is a member of SMART Local 0945, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship.

Nathan Roelse of Cleveland, Wisconsin

Roelse, whose father, William Roelse, is a member of SMART Local 18, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship.

Logan VanLaanen of Green Bay, Wisconsin

VanLaanen, whose father, Jesse VanLaanen, is a member of SMART Local 18, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship.

Billi Vavra of Prescott, Iowa

Vavra, who is a member of SMART Local 199, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship.

Meet some of the 2021 SMART honorees

Noah Berning
Purdue University
Heritage Junior-Senior High School (HHS)
Monroeville, Indiana (2019)

Noah recently completed his first year at Purdue, where he is an agricultural systems management and agricultural economics major. He hopes to enter the agriculture industry and will soon intern for Co-Alliance Cooperative in northwest Indiana. Throughout high school, Noah served as the Indiana FFA national officer candidate and state treasurer, as well as chapter and district president. He also attended the National Young Farmer Educational Association Agriculture’s Promise advocacy program in Washington, D.C.

Noah proudly hails from a union family; his father has been a SMART member for more than 20 years. “This allows him to do what he loves, knowing that he can work in a safe environment with fair pay,” Noah said. “I am extremely thankful to SMART and the labor movement because it provided my family with financial stability so that I could have the chance to follow my dream career and attend my dream university.”

Evan Bock
Rantoul Township High School (RTHS)
Rantoul, Illinois (2021)

Evan will begin college this fall and plans to major in engineering, with the ultimate goal of working for NASA. In 2019, Evan was selected as an Illinois state delegate at the Congress of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists in Boston, and he is an ambassador for Shriners Hospitals for Children. He and two family members battle a genetic bone disease, which makes him thankful for his father’s SMART membership. “My family would not be able to afford the medical treatments we need without SMART,” Evan said. “SMART is a lifeline for many workers and their families.”

“Evan’s commitment and enthusiasm to aerospace engineering, problem solving and learning allow him to stand out and succeed,” said RTHS science teacher Kristin Walerowicz. “His character will lead him to succeed in whatever he does while uplifting those around him.”

Grace Brodarick
Southold High School (SHS)
New York (2021)

Grace will begin college this fall and plans to major in nursing, following in her mother’s footsteps. She is thankful for her father’s SMART membership and the benefits it provides. “SMART’s hard work and negotiations allow members to thoroughly enjoy the fruits of their labor,” Grace said. “I am forever grateful for all that SMART has provided my father and my family.”

Last fall, Grace shadowed Dr. Vishnu Seodat for an internship with New York Health. “Grace showed keen interest in medicine and was eager to learn,” Seodat said. “She asked questions about every diagnosis and was very interested in the process of physical examination. Grace will be an asset to the medical profession.”

Miranda Garcia
Cal State University, Fresno (FSU)
Fowler High School (FHS)
California (2019)

Miranda is a psychology major at FSU and expects to complete her bachelor’s degree in May 2023. Her dream is to be a counselor, specializing in domestic violence and anger management. Miranda works at Charis Educational Center, a Fresno social services organization that offers anger management and parenting classes.

“Miranda consistently shows a determination to improve herself, her school environment and the people around her,” said FHS Learning/Activities Director Mike McColm. “She is quick to look for ways to help people around her and always willing to take on a challenge. Miranda is highly motivated, conscientious and a pleasure to be around.”

The Union Plus Scholarship Program

The Union Plus Scholarship Program awards scholarships based on outstanding academic achievement, personal character, financial need and commitment to the values of organized labor. The program is offered through the Union Plus Education Foundation.

Since starting the program in 1991, Union Plus has awarded more than $5 million in educational funding to more than 3,400 union members, spouses and dependent children. Union Plus Scholarship awards are granted to students attending a two-year college, four-year college, graduate school, or recognized technical or trade school. The selection process is very competitive, and this year 5,008 applications were received from 67 unions and all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, two U.S. territories and six Canadian provinces.

Visit www.unionplus.org/scholarship for applications and benefit eligibility.

About Union Plus

Union Plus, founded by the AFL-CIO in 1986, uses the collective buying power of America’s 12.5 million union members to deliver top-quality benefits and services at competitive prices to working families. In addition to the scholarship program, Union Plus offers the Free College program, which makes it possible for union members and their families to earn an associate degree completely online at no cost. As a complement to the Free College program, Union Plus offers the Bachelor’s Degree Completion program, providing union members and their families a no-cost option to complete their bachelor’s degree completely online. Union Plus also provides a wide range of money-saving programs, including discounts on wireless services from AT&T, the only nationwide unionized wireless carrier; insurance protection; savings on travel and recreation; and more. For additional information, visit unionplus.org.

Brodarick, whose father, Christopher Brodarick, is a member of SMART Local 645, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship.