NWTC Students Receive PEO Education Grants

Cheryl Chaudoir (right), Amy Mollberg (left) and Cheryl Chaudoir (right), of NWTC’s Program for Continuing Education Committee, presented Program for Continuing Education grants from P.E.O., a nonprofit philanthropic educational organization, to Missy Forry and Jamie Krauel. A third recipient requested anonymity. Submitted.

Jamie Krauel of Algoma was home schooled, mostly in Florida, and was not at all eager to pursue further education – until she returned to Florida on her own and realized it would be much easier to support herself if she had a marketable skill.

Now the recipient of a Continuing Education Program grant from PEO (Philanthropic Education Organization), she will be featured in an upcoming issue of the PEO Record, an international magazine.

Jamie is one of three young women, all students at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) in Sturgeon Bay, who were presented with PEO grants, ranging from $1,200 to $2,000, at a recent reception at the college. PEO, founded in 1869, provides financial assistance to women whose education has been interrupted and who find it necessary to return to school to complete a degree or certification that improves their skills for employment.

There are five PEO chapters in Door County, with more than 220 members. All three of the local nominees for the national award received grants this year. The money can be used for tuition, books, supplies and equipment/tools, school fees, transportation or childcare while the student is in class or studying. Each recipient must have been out of school for at least two years and within two years of completing the education program in which she is enrolled.

Jamie will soon complete the nine-month welding program at NWTC – a non-traditional program for women. That may be in her favor as she applies for jobs in the Milwaukee area after her wedding in November. Being non-traditional doesn’t faze Jamie. “I’ve found that many of the welders I’ve interviewed are close to retirement,” she says. She is eager to combine her career with her passion for mission outreach work and her artistic talent. (She’s decorated her welding helmet with pinstripes and roses.) The nominating committee was impressed with her motivation and her caring personality.

Grant recipient Marissa (Missy) Forry will graduate in May with an associate degree in human resources. A single mother of children ages six and eight, she says the grant money will be tremendously helpful to her during the months remaining in her program at the college. She has worked as an employment specialist at the local job center, helping others in their career paths, and recently began a new human relations position at Brad Tanck Plumbing. The committee found Missy’s dedication in pursuing her degree inspiring and were impressed with her determination to meet her challenges head-on and create a brighter future for her family. Missy says her children just think it’s “really cool” that mom is going to school, too.

The awards to Missy and Jamie were presented by Amy Mollberg and Cheryl Chaudoir of the Program for Continuing Education Committee. The third grant recipient asked to remain anonymous for personal reasons.

PEO grants, scholarships and loans are also available for high school seniors, international students and young women studying for post-graduate degrees. For more information, contact [email protected].