Southeast Tech Students Awarded Finish Strong Scholarships

SIOUX FALLS, SD – For the second year in a row, Build Dakota Scholarship has teamed up with the mikeroweWORKS Foundation to award $50,000 in Finish Strong Scholarships to 10 second-year technical students across South Dakota. Each recipient will receive a $5,000 scholarship for tuition, tools, and/or books.

The Finish Strong Scholarship is open to students entering their second year at one of South Dakota’s four technical colleges. The scholarship is funded by the mikeroweWORKS Foundation and matched by the South Dakota Future Fund.

“There is a lot of value in technical education, especially in South Dakota. It’s great to have partners like the mikeroweWORKS Foundation that want to see it succeed,” said Dana Dykhouse, chairman of the Finish Strong board. “There’s so much opportunity out there for students in some of these high-needs fields. We hope our scholarships brings some attention to those opportunities.”

Jennie Best, Assistant Director of Scholarships at Western Dakota Technical College, said the scholarship is a win-win for businesses and students. “There’s a huge need for skilled workers in South Dakota. The Finish Strong Scholarship is just one example of the efforts to address this issue,” said Best. “It’s $5,000. But the difference it makes for these ten students—and the freedom it gives them— is much bigger than that.”

The Finish Strong Scholarship was created after Mike Rowe, best known as the creator and host of the iconic TV series Dirty Jobs and CEO of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, visited South Dakota in the fall of 2018, when he toured several South Dakota technical colleges and businesses.

Scholarship winners:

• Daniel Kloss – Southeast Tech
• Ian Radach – Lake Area Tech
• Jared Ligtenberg – Southeast Tech
• Lydia Bunkowske – Lake Area Tech
• Malakai Stevens – Western Dakota Tech
• Matthew Hansen – Southeast Tech 
• Joshua Kjenstad – Lake Area Tech
• Jorge Tello  – Southeast Tech
• Austin Wenner – Mitchell Tech
• Miguel Vazquez – Southeast Tech 

For more information about the Finish Strong Scholarship, visit www.builddakotascholarships.com/finishstrong.

About the Finish Strong Scholarship

The Finish Strong Scholarship was created by Build Dakota Scholarship and the mikeroweWORKS Foundation in 2019 to award scholarships to technical students in South Dakota.

About the mikeroweWORKS Foundation

The mikeroweWORKS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that works hard to debunk myths about the skilled trades and help close the skills gap.  As the CEO, Mike Rowe speaks regularly about the country's dysfunctional relationship with work, and he challenges the persistent belief that a four-year degree is the best path for the most people.  The mikeroweWORKS Foundation provides financial assistance to people getting trained for skilled jobs that are in demand, most notably through the Work Ethic Scholarship Program.  Since its inception, it has granted, or helped facilitate the granting of, more than $6 million in scholarships or grants in support of technical and vocational education.