Local student awarded Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium scholarship

    BETHESDA, MD, Sept. 11 — The Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) Scholarship Committee announced that Aaron Cyr, a resident of Houlton, is a recipient of a 2009 GAAS scholarship funded by the University of the Aftermarket.
    Cyr will be attending Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle, ME. GAAS is an annual symposium where the automotive aftermarket industry comes together in one place at one time to hear top industry figures present their points of view about the trends taking place today and down the road in the next five years.
    GAAS scholarships, each in the amount of $1,000, were awarded to 65 students in 2009, representing 59 students in the U.S. and six in Canada. To be eligible for a GAAS scholarship, applicants must be enrolled full-time in a college-level program or an ASE/NATEF (National Automotive Technician Education Foundation) certified automotive technical program. The GAAS scholarship is also unique in that, recipients who graduate from their program and show proof of employment as a technician in the automotive aftermarket for at least six months after graduation can receive a second matching award.
    The awards included GAAS scholarships funded by donations from the University of the Aftermarket Foundation, and R. L. Polk & Company, the Breslow Foundation, the Michael Busch Memorial Fund, and from industry contributions from individuals, companies and foundations.
    GAAS scholarship applications for 2010 will be online at www.automotivescholarships.com beginning in September. The deadline for submitting 2010 scholarship applications is March 31, 2010. GAAS 2010 is set for May 18 – 19, at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Chicago, Ill. For more information, visit www.globalsymposium.org.