Ms. Keller: This will be my second attempt to pen a letter to you regarding your generosity. Apparently, I hit the “wrong key” and I am unclear as to what happened to my first attempt! Regardless, I do need to let you know that your participation in assisting students to progress in their chosen fields is greatly appreciated. I am hoping that you received my first attempt but am NOT satisfied to just hope that you did indeed receive it. Therefore, I feel I must again communicate my appreciation to you for assisting me. I am 78 and have always worked with my hands since my youth. With your help I am able to continue my quest to be a competent welder. I have found that to be a welder is a long process and your help has allowed me to continue and improve my skills. In addition, I have developed a keen interest in welding sculpture and also do the welding at my volunteer organization (Liberty Wildlife) I enjoy helping them!

This missive will hopefully convey my appreciation to you. THANK YOU!!

Sincerely, Timothy Coppage

Jobs and trades are rarely ever certain to hang around for long periods of time, but this is one trade I’ve seen around for a long time and I doubt it’ll evaporate anytime soon. My timeline or general plan is to focus my full effort and attention on my classes, and hopefully finish my degree before 2025. To that end I intend to take at least 12 credits of classes per semester and get through the requirements as quickly and thoroughly as possible. Having almost finished my second semester with a GPA of 3.5 or thereabouts, I feel at least a little confident I can succeed in my goals. Success to me would be the end of college with an Associate’s degree and a decent to good GPA that I can show off to my own pride or potential employers. I intend to succeed, and I’ll do it in spite of any difficulties I run into along the way. Thank you so much for your generosity in helping me reach my goals.

Sincerely,

Tyler Horsley

Thank you for your investment in me. My goal is to become certified in my welding classes and hopefully get a job as a welder by the time a graduate. There are many different kinds of welders the one I had heard a lot about is underwater welding and pipeline welding. I chose to weld because many people I know are welders. It just feels like a good job to pursue with many opportunities in many states. If I’m able to get my certificates in my classes it would look more desirable on my resume to then get hired eventually. This summer I’m now going to take a welding class and then be a full-time student in my fall and spring semester 2023-2024; then take my last class in fall 2024. I’m still figuring out the specific welding classes I want to take but overall, my plans are the same. Maybe later on before I graduate, I would take another major to pursue. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Pablo Mejia II

Starting off I would like to express how grateful I am to be awarded with the amount I have received. I can’t say thank you enough. I was completely shocked to see I was getting help towards my education. The start of my lifelong career begins now. I have lived in Mesa, Arizona my entire life and never thought I would stay long enough to attend any colleges here. Mesa Community College grants great opportunities for people such as myself. Looking toward my future in welding and understanding the science behind it brings me joy. Welding is only one of the skills that I am passionate about in life. Most likely stems from spending time in my grandfather’s metal fabrication shop as a young child. I take pride in being the one my bosses, coworkers, and customers go to when any welding or simple fabrication needs to be done. My lifelong goal is to acquire the knowledge I need to open a custom fabrication shop in honor of my grandfather. Having this scholarship not only awards me with the financial support I need but also knowing there are people out there encouraging me to succeed, absolutely helps. I wish to eventually do the same for those around me. This is the start of something great for me. No matter where I go in life, I will always remember those who have helped bring me to where I stand.

Sincerely, Jerry Rich

Thank you for this award. I chose Mesa Community College for the opportunity to study welding with a large variety of classes. My future is limitless. I have achieved the President’s Honor List while attending MCC. I’ve studied hard while enjoying the teachers, and the friends I have made. College would not be possible for me without the help I have received. This makes such a big difference giving me the ability to focus on my classes and not worry on how to pay for them. This is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely, Jonathan Walley

What news for this morning! Thank you very much for your very generous donation! Thank you so much for choosing me, I truly did not think I would be selected for a scholarship for this semester. I feel so blessed and I am truly thankful. This means so much to me words cannot express my thankfulness and gratitude for this scholarship and the very generous donor(s). From the bottom of my heart thank you!!

I am currently attending Mesa Community College because they have a very good welding program and I have attended before when I was getting my associates degree in criminal justice. I feel at home with MCC. I switched my major to an associate in welding. I’m sure there is a more professional term for it. I am excited about my major because of the endless opportunities that you can do with welding. I just finished my first semester of welding classes and I very much enjoyed them. Once I graduate, I would like to TIG weld on spacecrafts or aircrafts. I would eventually like to one day go into business for myself where I can use all types of welding (stick, MIG, TIG, etc.).

This scholarship helps out so much with the financial burden and expenses that unfortunately come with pursuing a college education. This scholarship definitely reduces that stress as well as the worry about paying for supplies, tools, and gear.

I am currently living at home while attending college. I’m always worrying about the cost of school and my materials; it stresses me out when I need help from my parents because I know they as well as probably everyone else is strapped for cash right now the way the economy has been. I am so thankful for this scholarship because it takes the stress and feelings of being a financial burden to my parents away. Having this scholarship already makes me feel relieved about this spring semester coming up.

I am so grateful, thankful, and humbled by your generosity. Having new gear for spring will definitely help as well, I didn’t realize how rough welding is on the clothes you wear and even the welding hood. I am very proud of the semester I just had, it was my first time ever welding, I have never done anything close to welding before. I passed all my classes with great grades and I am very much looking forward to spring! Before I started pursuing this major, I was in a cadet flight program for Southwest Airlines. Things did not quite work out in my favor and I ended up leaving with the intent to further pursue my education. I stumbled across welding when I was looking at jobs and careers that have you outside. I enjoy being outdoors and staying busy, I love to work with my hands.

I was originally looking at dive schools that teach underwater welding or submerged welding. Welding has always interested me so I started to look at welding programs and that is when I stumbled across MCC’s welding program. I didn’t even know MCC had a welding program nor did I know that it was very good and well known! I immediately registered for my first semester of classes back in August with about 1 week to spare before enrollment closed. I felt so out of place for a little bit but kept at it and now here I am now! Because of this scholarship and your generosity this adds to my fire and passion to keep pushing as hard as I can to reach my goals! I hope to one day meet the donor(s) who have invested in me! I am so grateful, thankful, blessed, and humbled by your amazing kindness. I hope to one day be able to generously give back the way you have so generously given to me.

You the donor(s) have definitely inspired me to want to reflect your kindness and generosity to other young college kids with a goal, a dream like me. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart!

Sincerely,
Sterling Boels

Thank you very much for choosing me as a recipient for this scholarship. It is amazing to be able to receive The Cade Keller Scholarship. I have heard and listened to the story about Cade and I was able to learn about his love for welding and how he really enjoyed it. Welding opened my eyes to many opportunities. I also have the greatest pleasure in falling in love with welding and I am really enjoying it. Thank you again.

Rest in peace Cade and my condolences to the parents.

Sincerely,

Fiatau Palaita

Thank you for this generous award. I will work hard to make sure that the faith that you have placed in with such a generous reward is well founded and used to make myself better. I graduated a semester early from high school through dedication and working hard to get things done well in advance and maintain a high GPA.

I will be attending college at Mesa Community College, and I will be pursuing a degree in welding. I intend to learn all that I can so I can set myself up for success in life. Your award will allow me to focus on school, learn and not be pressured by a need to work extra or take out loans to be able to continue my education.

It is my intent to gain welding experience after graduation and push myself to get a high skill job related to welding, such as an aerospace welder. Once again, thank you for your generosity. Your generosity and trust will be met with hard work and dedication. I will not let you or myself down in this endeavor.

Sincerely,

Nathan Gray

Thank you! Receiving this scholarship has allowed me to participate and further develop my ability to gain knowledge in the career I hope to acquire in my life. It has allowed me to go to school and create so much more opportunities that I would have never been open to it if I didn’t attend school. Forever grateful!

Sincerely,

Johnathan Lopez