SCC Students Receive Welding Scholarships

From left: Ashley Phelps, Brittney Annis and Connie Smith

Three Somerset Community College (SCC) students were recently awarded district scholarships from the American Welding Society, amounting to more than $1,500 each.

Connie Smith, Brittney Annis and Ashley Phelps were the only welding students from the Commonwealth of Kentucky to receive the scholarships.

Smith, of Nancy, currently works as a welding trainer at Hendrickson in Somerset where she does robotic and hand welding. Smith enrolled at Somerset Community College to learn new skills and move up the ladder in her career. She will finish the welding program in December of 2015 but plans to continue her education at SCC.

Annis, of Somerset, plans to finish the welding program at SCC in May of 2016. She first realized she wanted to work in welding during an agricultural class as a freshman in Ohio County, Kentucky. The scholarship will help with excess expenses, tuition, books and more, said Annis.

Phelps, of Somerset, is a U.S. Air Force veteran who comes from a family of welders. When her youngest daughter turned three, Phelps said she realized it was time to come back to school.

“I enjoy working with my hands,” said Phelps. “I’m a carpenter, a farrier and a welder. I appreciate the artistic side of these skills.”

Phelps and her husband, also a welder, plan to open a welding, sandblasting and powder coating business in the future. She also plans to continue her education and pursue another diploma in industrial maintenance.

“We wouldn’t have received the scholarships if it hadn’t been for the support and encouragement of Donnia Vanschoyck (SCC recruiter),” said Phelps. “She made sure we had what we needed to be successful in going after this award.”

To find out more about the welding program at SCC, contact program director Karl Watson at (606) 451-6881 or by email at karl.watson@kctcs.edu.