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TechConnect WV Seeks Scholarship Applications

For Mary Anne Ketelsen STEM Scholarship Program

Application Deadline Extended Until Midnight, March 19, 2021

$22,500 Available to W.Va. Women Preparing for Careers in Oil and Natural Gas

Mary Anne Ketelsen

Charleston, W.Va. (Jan. 19, 2021) – Anne Barth, executive director of TechConnect West Virginia, announced the creation and initiation of the Mary Anne Ketelsen STEM Scholarship Program to benefit Mountain State women seeking to further their education for careers in the oil and gas industry. Applications for scholarship funds are now being accepted, with an extended deadline of midnight on March 19, 2021.

“Mary Anne Ketelsen, a keynote speaker at one of our Women in Technology conferences and successful West Virginia entrepreneur and philanthropist, generously donated funds to TechConnect West Virginia to establish a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) scholarship program to support women in the oil and natural gas industry, said Barth. “Mary Anne also sought to honor the memory of her mother, Mary “Mickey” Welch, a philanthropist and oil and gas industry pioneer.”

Those eligible to receive a scholarship must be:

  • graduating high school seniors with at least a 3.0 grade point average
  • current higher education students in either community/technical colleges or four-year institutions with at least a 3.0 grade point average;
  • working adult professionals interested in advancing their careers;
  • West Virginia resident students attending institutions of higher education in West Virginia or located in an adjoining state (KY, MD, OH, PA or VA); and
  • those students willing to commit to work in West Virginia for the first two years of their careers.

Students currently enrolled, or planning to enroll, in the following programs should be encouraged to apply for this scholarship:

  • Engineering
  • Geoscience
  • Chemistry
  • Geology
  • Environmental Science
  • Computer Science/Cybersecurity
  • Environmental and Energy Resources Management
  • Applied Process Technology
  • Petroleum Technology
  • Business, Marketing & Media majors who intend to work in the oil & gas sector

In 2021, the scholarship program has $22,500 available for distribution to qualified female candidates. Recipients will receive a non-renewable award of either $1,000, $2,500 or $5,000. Current applicants must plan to attend institutions of higher learning in 2021 or 2022.

To access complete details on the application process, click here

Mary Anne Ketelsen is President and CEO of Parkersburg’s Mister Bee Potato Chips, a growing small, woman-owned business in a HubZone. She was recognized both as a Distinguished West Virginian by the Governor of West Virginia and a “Wonder Woman” by West Virginia Living magazine in 2020. Mary Anne is a graduate of both West Virginia University at Parkersburg and Glenville State University.