Meet a Fluid Power Scholarship Winner—Wyatt Hoehn

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 $2,000 scholarships to students pursuing fluid power technology fields of study.

Here’s one of the winners, Wyatt Hoehn. He is attending Spokane Community College in Spokane, Washington and is enrolled in the Hydraulic and Pneumatic Automation Technology program. We asked Wyatt about winning the scholarship . . .

What does winning a Fluid Power Scholarship mean to you?
I am very excited to accept this award because it is going to help me pay for a significant part of my schooling. I am working as hard as possible to graduate college and enter the workforce absolutely debt free, and much of that plan depends on scholarships and grants. If I can avoid student loan debt after graduating I will be much more likely to achieve my personal and professional goals sooner. This is why being offered this award means so much to me right now.

Why did you choose to learn about fluid power?
I chose to learn about fluid power after I graduated high school and spent an entire summer debating what I should do with my life as far as a career. I had heard about the fluid power program at Spokane Community College, and after looking into it, I signed up. It was the first time I had looked at a post-high school option and had been excited about it. Ever since then, I have not once regretted my decision.

What are your career aspirations? What type of fluid power job do you hope to get after you graduate?
As I’m sure many people have said, I want to have a job in which I can enjoy the work I am doing. That is definitely what I can see waiting for me within the fluid power industry. As much as I love working with my hands, I hope to get a sales and/or engineering/design type job with a company that will help me to continue my education and obtain a bachelor’s degree in engineering. I am currently spending the summer in Sarasota, Florida completing an internship with Sun Hydraulics in order to get experience and hopefully find a career that I’ll love.

The Foundation’s goal is to help individuals enrolled in high schools, technical colleges, and engineering schools pursue their interests in fluid power. We will start accepting applications for the 2020 Fluid Power Scholarships on January 6, 2020. For further information about the Fluid Power Scholarship program, contact Amy Zignego, Workforce Program Manager, at azignego@nfpa.com.