Meet a Fluid Power Scholarship Winner – Kaedyn Peterson-Rucker

The NFPA Education and Technology Foundation has awarded 23 $2,000 scholarships to students pursuing fluid power related fields of study.

One of the winners, Kaedyn Peterson-Rucker, is attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison. We asked Kaedyn a few questions about winning the scholarship.

What does winning a Fluid Power Scholarship mean to you?

Winning the Fluid Power Scholarship is a great honor. Getting recognized for working hard and being passionate about learning is very rewarding. This honor will allow me to remain diligent in my learning and develop my fluid power knowledge.

Why did you choose to learn about fluid power?
Growing up around tractors and farm machinery, I saw from an early age the capabilities of fluid power. As I got older and began operating machinery, I got to know what it feels like to use that power. Being curious about things and wanting to become an engineer, paired with my admiration for fluid power, made it a clear choice.

What are your career aspirations? What type of fluid power job do you hope to get after you graduate?

After I graduate, I would like to get a job with fluid power application. Ideally, I would be working with others to integrate fluid power into their machines. If I can have a career helping to utilize the countless benefits that fluid power has, I would be very pleased.

A minimum GPA of 2.5 out of 4.0, 500-word essay, and letter of recommendation were required from each applicant. The NFPA Foundation’s goal is to help graduating high school students, and individuals enrolled in community colleges, technical schools and universities pursue their academic interests in fluid power.

One way NFPA members can get involved with scholarship programs is to volunteer as a judge to serve on the application review committee or mentor a robotics team as they work towards incorporating pneumatics in their designs. This year 16 judges from 13 NFPA member companies reviewed 50 student applications to the Fluid Power Scholarship program. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Haley Nemeth at hnemeth@nfpa.com.