Unique scholarship opportunity for high school seniors

The Thunder on the Mountain (TOM) Car Show will award scholarships to Tehachapi and Monroe High School graduating seniors seeking training for vocational careers. Many scholarships are awarded to students with the highest grade point average, but the TOM Scholarship Committee evaluates students differently. Hoping to encourage students to work toward careers in the skilled trades, it looks for seniors with a clear career goal and plans for how to achieve it.

The vocational trades include all skilled-labor areas where the knowledge and ability necessary for securing a job goes beyond that of an entry-level position. The TOM scholarship application lists over 70 vocational areas including agriculture, auto mechanics, cosmetology, computer maintenance, culinary arts, dental assistance, elder care, firefighting, heavy equipment operation, interior design,law enforcement, medical assistance, paralegal, plumbing, truck driving, utility line maintenance, welding and wind turbine maintenance.

Many vocational careers do not require a college degree, but specialized knowledge and skills are needed. A community college or trade school is often the best place to enroll in practical, hands-on classes that lead to the vocational degree or educational certificate required by the national occupational standards to perform a specific kind of work.

Tehachapi and Monroe High School seniors seeking a future in such careers should ask their career counselor for a Thunder on the Mountain Vocational Scholarship Application.