NSC recognizes 5 winners of inaugural scholarship program, announces expansion

Indianapolis – Five students are attending this week’s 2017 National Safety Council Congress & Expo thanks to the council’s inaugural scholarship program.

Scholarship recipients – Justin Artman and Michael Rees from Illinois State University, Mitchell Huston and Keith Kureska from Columbia Southern University, and Krystal Sibert from the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater – will be acknowledged Tuesday during the Motivational Keynote, and are able to take advantage of networking and educational activities during the expo.

NSC established the scholarship program to help bring awareness to – and recognition of – achievement in the field of safety. Through a variety of methods and awards, NSC provides people pursuing safety careers with funding for education, certifications and continuing education opportunities.

Next spring, in addition to the Congress & Expo Scholarship, NSC will award the Women in Safety Scholarship to women pursuing safety as a career. Women enrolled in a post-secondary program are eligible; applications will be accepted starting in November.

“Safety is more than a profession – it is a calling,” Deborah A.P. Hersman, NSC president and CEO, said in a Sept. 25 press release. “We need to cultivate and encourage dedicated women professionals to pick up the mantel as 25 percent of safety specialists today consider retirement. This scholarship will create an opportunity for outstanding candidates to pursue their education and dedicate their careers to keeping each other safe.”

Information about the Text-to-Give Campaign, which helps fund these scholarships, is scattered throughout the Indianapolis Convention Center, including on the back of attendees’ badges. Online donations to the scholarship program can be made at nsc.org\donate. Expo attendees also can donate in person at the NSC Resource Center (Booth 2812).