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Watch videos from other scholarship recipients like Joann Jones, Cameron Hutt, Cody Garner, Emily Hause and more on our YouTube playlist.
Sydney Parsons, Recipient
Leah McCance, Recipient
Daniel Hart, Scholarship recipient
ATSS Foundation has awarded more than 135 Roadway Worker Memorial Scholarships since 2002 and more than 25 Chuck Bailey Memorial Scholarships since 2004. This financial assistance for higher education helps ensure that the academic goals of recipients can continue.
Here are a few more stories of how the ATSS Foundation has changed lives. Has the Foundation made a difference in your life or the life of a loved one? We'd love to hear from you!
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"I'm grateful that the [ATSS Foundation] has faith in me and sees potential in me. ... Honestly, getting the scholarship was pretty impactful in changing my outlook," Chris said in acknowledging that he has battled depression since his father's death and has found aspects of grad school challenging.
Christopher Fletcher, first time recipient 2024
"We are so thankful for the existence of [the Foundation] and our ability to be involved with it. I truly had no idea how many people were in the same situation as my family. Just being able to be in touch with the community has had such an impact. I can't express how grateful I am."
Cameron Hutt (pictured middle), yearly recipient 2018-2021
"The Foundation has just really made it possible to achieve my dreams and be where I want to be without having that financial burden."
Katie Hutt (left), recipient 2021-2024
With Chris Hutt (right), first-time recipient 2024
"I am just super thankful. [The scholarship is] going to help me not be in debt and start my career out well." Leah plans to "... become an elementary school teacher and further my music career. This is important to me so I can better myself and hopefully make a difference in young children's lives, influencing them to grow into a person they want to become."
Leah McCance, recipient 2023, 2024
"Big things like this scholarship are a great help to people who might not have good situations or opportunities and who want to go to college. ... This scholarship will help me get through college without a ton of debt to start my adult life."
Alex Perez, recipient 2022, 2023, 2024
"I am able to focus on my schooling and not have to worry about working a full-time job," said Megan, who is studying to make a career in the nursing field. Following some personal medical issues, where her own nurses made a lasting impression, Megan said, "that's the kind of nurse I want to be. I want my patients to find comfort in me."
Megan Pirelli (pictured right), yearly recipient 2021-2024
(Kaitlyn, left, was a recipient 2021, 2022)
The scholarship allowed Joann to focus on her studies without the stress of taking on large amounts of debt. She is also able to attend a private school with a smaller environment that is a good fit for her.
Joann Jones, yearly recipient 2020-2023
"Getting the scholarship was tremendous ... [It] helped me to be able to focus mainly on my studies and internships. Without that, I would have been working a lot and I probably would not have been able to do most of, if not any, of my internships."
Cody Garner, yearly recipient 2017-2020
"I've had the scholarship since my first year of college, and it's helped me tremendously. I am very appreciative of it because I had a lot of financial stress on me. I'm very lucky that I have the time to focus on school rather than work."
Tessa Beard, yearly recipient 2018-2024
"I think it's great because you get somebody in my situation, where you know it's tough to make ends meet. I think it's a great opportunity to help people that really need it."
Ricky Timmons, permanently disabled father of Lee Timmons, yearly recipient 2020-2022
"I remember thinking, dang, this is a pretty good scholarship and not many people can apply for it. This could potentially cover my entire year of school, which would be so helpful. I've gotten a few scholarships, but this is definitely my biggest. I'm very grateful."
Courtney Parsons, yearly recipient 2020-2021
"I was very surprised [The Foundation] has a scholarship program to help people like us. This really helps. I think that without it I wouldn't be able to attend the college I chose."
Daniel Hart, yearly recipient 2020-2023
"[The scholarship,] it's helpful, extremely helpful. It was really nice to know there was a group out there that honors those who were lost. ... I want to be successful and I know my Dad wants that for me."
Emily Hause, yearly recipient 2020-2022
"I feel lucky to have known exactly what I wanted to do later in life. While it was hard to go through the loss of a parent and lose all of the experiences I would have had with my father, it made me realize I need to be the best person I can be and work hard to reach my goals ... I think The Foundation recognized that and I am extremely grateful."
Aaron Baker, recipient 2019 and 2022
"I'm very grateful to have received the scholarship provided by The Foundation, as I'm sure the other recipients are. Losing a parent is a very difficult ordeal to go through but it is nice to know there are people out there to support you after going through an experience like that."
Mariela Lara, yearly recipient 2019-2020, 2022-2024
"The scholarship has done multiple things for me and my family, along with it, helped me grant the opportunity to go to school and help with that funding and pursue a career that I love. I want to be a music teacher. I think the scholarship program and The Foundation in general is a great way to remember and honor fallen roadway workers, like my dad. It ensures these lives are always being remembered and always being cherished and I am forever grateful for that."
Marcie Walker, yearly recipient 2018-2021
Marcie Walker spoke during the Ohio ATSSA Chapter meeting on June 5, 2020.
"When I first heard the scholarship program’s slogan of ‘Moving toward zero scholarships,’ I was thrown off because it’s such a great program that helps so many young people, but I realized it’s about working to reach a goal of having zero roadway worker deaths and that is so important. It’s a goal we need to reach. For ATSSA and The Foundation to have that vision means they are working in many ways to help roadway workers and their families."
Andrea (Pair) Winters, yearly recipient 2014-2021
"Being a part of something much bigger than myself was what The Foundation inspired in me. To have so many strangers believe in you, it was transformational. I wanted more of that. I was inspired by what The Foundation stands for."
Erica (Pearson) Kililikane, recipient 2006 and 2012
"Once I applied and received the scholarship, I was so grateful. I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to pay for college. I always spoke to my dad about going to college so when I received the scholarship, it was just an amazing experience."
Caitlyn Rains, yearly recipient 2017, 2018, 2020
"With the scholarship and The Foundation and other scholarships I received, I was able to attend and graduate college without paying a penny. It was definitely a blessing and I think that I have my dad to thank for that. He was a huge part in me graduating college as well as my family and people from The Foundation and the other scholarship programs."
Lyndsay (Morgan) Sutton, yearly recipient 2014-2016
"The Foundation’s generous support through the Roadway Worker Memorial Scholarship reassured me that I could financially attend the Harvard Graduate School of Education to gain foundational knowledge and skills that are critical to expanding my career in the education sector. The scholarship provided me with a profound opportunity to honor my father’s deep commitment to higher education through earning an advanced degree."
Rachael Moser, recipient 2016
"While [my father] can’t be here to support me in person, I’ll always know that he’s never truly left me. I believe the scholarship is like ‘pennies from heaven’ and his way of reassuring me he hasn’t left. I’ll be forever grateful to The Foundation for allowing others like myself to be reassured there’s still someone here to look out for us even though the parent no longer is."
Brionna Lizotte, yearly recipient 2016-2019