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NNSY'S NAS AWARDS EIGHT
NORFOLK NAVAL SHIPYARD’S NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SUPERINTENDENTS AWARDED EIGHT SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
STORY BY TROY MILLER • PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST PHOTOS BY TONY ANDERSON • NNSY PHOTOGRAPHER
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This has been a school year unlike any other. The 2019-2020 school year was forced to have the final three months of the school year performed online due to COVID-19; however, this didn’t stop Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s (NNSY) chapter of the National Association of Superintendent (NAS) from selecting and handing out scholarships to eight students June 23.
“Each year, in the Jan./Feb. timeframe, we advertise the program – it’s open to dependents of NNSY employees,” said NNSY’s Engineering Planning Manager and NAS’s Education Committee Chairperson Michael Zydron. “We have a standard application and part of the process requires that a member of the association sponsor each submittal to verify eligibility. After the deadline is reached, we establish a separate committee of three to utilize a scoring criteria to grade the applications and then average the totals in order to make final selections based on merit.”
This year there were 19 applicants, but only eight were awarded. The top four family members of NAS members were selected and top four family members of nonNAS members were picked. Eight total scholarships were distributed for a total of $4,000 collected from personal funds of NNSY NAS members.
“Part of the association’s focus is to not only maximize mission but give back to the shipyard community by recognizing our young scholars from shops and codes across the yard. Some of the previous scholarship recipients went on to complete their degrees and have come back to work at America’s Shipyard over the years,” said Zydron.
The selection committee looks at many elements of each application including SAT/ACT scores, class rank, grade point average, academic honors, work experience, extracurricular activities and several other areas. Using a grade point system, the winners are identified.
“It’s truly appreciated that NAS is investing in the future and passion my son, Bradley, has in engineering,” said NNSY’s Engineering Technician Bill Harrell, Code 100PI.
“It’s an honor to be selected and I can’t thank the association enough,” said scholarship recipient Bradley Harrell.
With the 2020/2021 school year on the horizon, members of NAS are looking forward to next year’s program and the continued close competition.
