Winners of Herman O. West Foundation Scholarship Reflect on Students Receiving $20,000 for Higher Education

With employees’ students across the U.S. receiving $5,000 each year over four years, the Foundation fosters a culture of support for education and family at West.

For over 30 years, the Herman O. West Foundation has offered West employees in the U.S. a scholarship for their dependents entering college or trade school. There are 21 scholarships granted annually across all of West’s U.S. locations. Each winner receives $5,000 over four years – for a total scholarship amount of $20,000. Additionally, the Chairman’s Scholarship is awarded to the highest-ranking applicant (valued at $10,000 per year for a maximum of four years).

When Tonya Becton, Quality Inspector at West’s Kinston, NC, location learned her daughter was a recipient of the Herman O. West Scholarship, she was truly grateful.

“One of the things that I desire the most is to see my daughter not only be successful, but to live out her dreams,” said Tonya. “The scholarship is helping her significantly with the financial aspect of achieving her academic goals, and we could not be more thankful to West!”

The scholarship program, which is operated by International Scholarship & Tuition Services (ISTS) out of Nashville, has fostered a culture of support of education and family at West. Recently, some of last year’s winners reflected on how it felt to learn their dependents had been granted the scholarship, and what it meant to them as employees at West.

“When we received the news that Sebastian had been awarded the Herman O. West Scholarship, we felt very proud of him for his achievement, and also grateful to West for granting it. It was an example of how West supports its employees and recognizes excellence in all fields,” said Victor Cisneros, Director, Arizona. “Receiving this scholarship is a great honor for him."

“It is great to work for a company that does so much for its employees. I am very thankful to West and the Herman O. West Foundation for the opportunities the scholarship will help provide my daughter Samantha.” said Michael Bursaw, Director, Nebraska.

“Receiving the Herman O. West scholarship was a huge help to my child's education. Alleviating some of the financial needs allowed him to really focus on his schoolwork and apply himself toward his Computer Science degree,” said Annemarie Moreno, Calibration Technician, Arizona. “Having that extra support also motivated him to continue to pursue his degree despite any challenges. As an employee, I cannot thank West enough for extending this opportunity to my son.”

“Having your child go off to college is hard. The worries of their complete independence, self-discipline, and financial commitments are overwhelming,” said Louis Brasten, Sr. Manager, Pennsylvania. “To see that Ella had received the Herman O. West Scholarship brought an instant smile to my face, a feeling of pride in my workplace, and an appreciation of West’s commitment to invest in the education of our youth.”

Over the years, the Herman O. West Foundation’s scholarship program has given more than $4.5 million to West employees’ dependents for higher education. Learn more about how West gets involved philanthropically across the globe and the Herman O. West Foundation.