Trade School Students Win Scholarships From The Home Depot

This past week, SkillsUSA and The Home Depot hosted a National Signing Day to recognize students attending or planning to attend trade schools and technical colleges to pursue careers in the skilled trades. As part of the celebration, The Home Depot Foundation awarded $30,000 scholarships to six students to help cover the cost of their trade school tuition.

“We’re thrilled to help these students achieve their dreams as they enter the building and construction trades,” said Shannon Gerber, executive director of The Home Depot Foundation. “The opportunity to partner with SkillsUSA and Klein Tools to provide support to the next generation of tradespeople is incredibly rewarding.”

The scholarship winners were all from the Southeast; The Home Depot is headquartered in Atlanta. The students selected:

• Annayeli Dionisio, Columbus Career & College Academy, Whiteville, N.C.;
• Jalen Randolph, Butler County Career Academy, Greenville, Ala.;
• Jesse Moran, RIVEROAK Technical College, Live Oak, Fla.;
• Kayla Eades, Cross Keys High School, Atlanta, Ga.;
• Michael Snipes, East Laurens High School, East Dublin, Ga.;
• Zackery Pitchford, Lumpkin County High School, Dahlonega, Ga.

These scholarships are part of The Home Depot’s plans to invest in the future of the U.S. construction workforce. The company’s “Path to Pro” initiative sponsors many programs across the country, including pre-apprenticeship certification training for high schoolers and trades training programs for military members.

“The Home Depot plays a critical role in the building and construction space serving both professional contractors and consumers,” said Chelle Travis, executive director of SkillsUSA. “Their involvement and investment in National Signing Day have been powerful in advancing our mission and supporting our students’ accomplishments.”