Meet a Fluid Power Scholarship Winner—Dana Nestrick

Programs like the Fluid Power Scholarships are made possible in part by the generous support of industry volunteers as well as NFPA Education and Technology Foundation and Pascal Society donors. Support these efforts by making a donation.

The NFPA Education and Technology Foundation has awarded fifteen $2,000 scholarships to students pursuing fluid power technology fields of study.

Here’s one of the winners, Dana Nestrick. Dana is attending Triton College and is enrolled in the engineering technology program. We asked Dana about winning the scholarship…

What does winning a Fluid Power Scholarship mean to you?
Receiving this scholarship means relief. I can continue to focus on my studies with less stress about how to pay for my education. This scholarship means that I will be able to not have to pick and choose classes based on my budget. I am coming back to school from professional theatre that has been shut down for 15+ months due to the pandemic, and how/where I spend my limited funds has influence which classes I could take and when in the past two semesters.

Why did you choose to learn about fluid power?
I fell into fluid power through my engineering technology curriculum and basically fell in love. I have exposure to a lot of fluid power applications in my past, however didn’t know that I did, or the technical terms for these applications. This has led to me wanting to know more about fluid power, and where I can apply it both professionally and personally.

What are your career aspirations? What type of fluid power job do you hope to get after you graduate?
I am not entirely certain yet. I want teach eventually. I am going to be teaching at Triton soon and am looking forward to teaching others about fluid power. I know that as entry to my teaching career I will be exposing students to fluid power indirectly, which I hope leads to others choosing a further education and exposure to the vast opportunities of fluid power.

The Foundation’s goal is to help individuals enrolled in technical colleges and universities pursue their interests in fluid power. The Fluid Power Scholarship application is available from January 1, 2022 to April 3, 2022. Please share this opportunity within your network. Additionally, if you would like to serve on the application review committee, please contact Amy Zignego at azignego@nfpa.com.