EGIA Foundation Welcomes 2024-25 HVAC HERO Scholarship Winners

Octavio Aranda
Universal Technical Institute
Coupland, Texas

My dad would wake me up at 6:00 am to take me to his construction job when I was seven or eight years old. I never understood why, until he told me that he told me that he did it because he wanted me to become a man.

Cyrus Martin-Belk
Del Mar College – Windward Campus
Ingleside, Texas

Homeless at 8. In the top ten at 18. Through God’s help, the help of my step-grandmother, teachers, and coaches I will achieve my goals of going to Del Mar College to become an HVAC technician.

Ashonte Ross
Lamson Institute
San Antonio, Texas

I researched trades that would fulfill my desire to help people, and I landed on HVAC. Even though this is entirely new territory, I am excelling in my classes and brimming with excitement for starting my new career.

Mariano Serrano
HCC Central Campus
Houston, Texas

HVAC isn’t something you can just pick up overnight – it takes time and effort to become really good at it. But I’m up for the challenge. I want to learn everything there is to know about heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems so that I can provide the best service possible to my customers.

Victor Barajas
Greenville Technical College
Simpsonville, South Carolina

I don’t just plan on doing HVACR at GSCC. I want to be known, I want my name to be out there in the most positive ways ever.

Eduardo Franchise
Gadsden State Valley
Gadsden, Alabama

When I was making my decision about what path I wanted to pursue after high school, I initially was going to go into another trade. After consulting family and mentors, I decided to go into HVAC and couldn’t be happier. After graduation, I have a long-term vision of starting an employee-owned HVAC business.

Amanda Mitchell
Tarrant County College
Fort Worth, Texas

I’ve worked in skilled trades roles in other industries, but since HVAC has become much more popular in the last few years, I decided it would be a good path for myself as well and I am excited to grow and learn on the job.

Elber Ortiz Guzman
Minneapolis College
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Going to college was always something that I always wanted, but I never had that option before. When I came to the USA from Mexico the only option I had was to work and that is the only thing I did. Now that going to college is an option for me, I will accomplish a passion that I always wanted.

Alex Sayer
Northern Michigan University
Hesperia, Michigan

HVAC was something I really enjoyed and it never seemed to get boring with always moving around and completely changing jobs 3 to 4 times a day depending on how long the call took. After 3 months of work I decided I would like an associates degree in this field of work knowing that this would help me in the long run.

Logan Clark
TCAT Upper Cumberland
Rockwood, Tennessee

I’m hoping that this field will support me in the coming years while I start my life and grow my family. My plan is to start my own business and although it will be very demanding, I am still thrilled at the fact that these are opportunities that I have the chance to do.

Sang Hnin
Fortis College
Indianapolis, Indiana

More than 20,000 Burmese people live in Indianapolis, but many of them cannot speak English. When they have problems with their airconditioning and heat, it is very difficult for them to call an expert, because they do not speak English. If I can finish this program (HVACR), I will be a big help for my community.

Matthew Breen
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
Concord, North Carolina

HVAC as a career combines the desire for little to no student debt, job stability, hands-on work that I can be proud of, diversity, the opportunity to help people, following in my grandfather’s footsteps and the potential for growth and advancement makes an HVAC career appealing to me.

Luis Marquez
Riverside Community College
Perris, California

Problem solving is an important skill to help you excel in an HVAC career, and it’s something I enjoy doing. Solutions to issues are not always simple, and creativity often needs to be paired with technical knowledge. I enjoy challenging tasks; this career path is an excellent choice.

Landon Schmidt
Dunwoody College of Technology
Mahtomedi, Minnesota

Something that excites me about pursuing a career in the HVAC field after being in school for some time is how you are constantly learning or discovering new industry trends that you may have to adjust to during your career. So it has the possibility of every day bringing something new to the table to keep it engaging and interesting in the future.

Ethan Peavey
CVTC Energy Education Center
Glen Flora, Wisconsin

HVAC technicians work in a wide variety of locations, often traveling to different work sites and interacting with new people which is good for someone like me that can’t see themselves at a typical “desk” job

Ryan Welte
Blackhawk Technical College
Roscoe, Illinois

One summer I was talking to my neighbor and discovered he worked in the HVACR field. I was fascinated with the memories he shared with me and that there were so many construction fields that I had never heard of. From then on I held many conversations with him as we stood together by our backyard fence. He was even kind enough to take me along with him for some of his calls and I realized that HVACR was a trade that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Lucas Crow
Bevill State Community College
Houston, Alabama

Whether that be working for someone in an excellent company or maybe even one day owning my own company and helping individuals in the world keep their houses cool in the summertime and nice and warm in the wintertime, HVAC has already opened the door to countless friendships and small job opportunities.

Joseph Davis
Blinn College
Shiner, Texas

It all seemed interesting how these machines could convert energy into cold or hot air. I thought that it sounded intriguing to do, and after he said the school would be no more than two years I was set on being an HVAC Technician.

Victor Imhoff
College of DuPage
Plainfield, Illinois

My service as an army reservist was the single most influential endeavor of my life. During my time I met and had a great number of influential people that I served with. One of those people was Leroy Haugland, a Command Sergeant Major, who was in charge of thousands of the enlisted soldiers. But back home he was a simple man who was a self-employed HVACR contractor, so we enjoyed many conversations about our specific trades as well as challenges of our individual roles as military leaders.

Colton VanGheem
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
Green Bay, Wisconsin

With autism it can sometimes be hard to communicate with others so I know when I work with customers I will have the understanding that we are not all the same and to show patience and understanding of all types of people. I believe that I am a good candidate for a scholarship because of my determination to not give up and pursue a career that is right for me that will benefit my community.

Jennifer Vera
Riverside City College
Fontana, California

Receiving this scholarship would be an honor and it would allow me to put more time and effort into my studies as I am a full time worker which makes it hard to schedule classes. I have really enjoyed my classes and can not wait to get deeper into this career.

Gabriel Xavier
Florida State College at Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida

I was studying Information Technology and just couldn’t seem to find myself in it. That’s when a few friends of mine started hinting at HVAC/R. I had an idea, but I never really knew what HVAC/R consists of before they told me. But as soon as I started to deep dive into it, I knew I had found myself.

Maxwell Koskodan
Ferris State University
Dryden, Michigan

Being active and working with my hands rather than sitting at a desk is important to me. With the evolving changes related to energy efficiency, HVAC/R professionals will continue to be needed well into the future, which yields high job security and satisfaction.

Juan Soto
Perry Technical Institute
Wapato, Washington

The satisfaction of knowing that my work directly improves the comfort and health of people in their homes and workplaces is a significant motivator for me. Moreover, HVAC is a field that is continually advancing with new technologies aimed at improving energy efficiency and reducing environmental impact. The push towards greener technologies and sustainable practices aligns with my personal values and my interest in contributing to environmental conservation.