2023 Power Your Future Scholarship Winners

Congratulations to Treton Duffie and Ryan Pérez, recipients of the 2023 Gilda and Barry Boyer and Van Meter Inc. Power Your Future scholarship. The scholarship is awarded annually to a graduating high school student (or students!) committed to pursuing a career in the electrical trade.

TRETON DUFFIE, CEDAR RAPIDS KENNEDY HIGH SCHOOL

For Treton Duffie, entering the electrical trade isn’t about collecting a paycheck. It’s about doing something he is passionate about. He has been interested in the trades since he started building computers. He built his own computer when he was just 14 years old and has built computers for his friends too

He also knows how to put in the work to be successful. When he wasn’t building computers, he started working at Culvers when he was 14 and later transitioned to working at Discount Tire. He also participated in track and field at Kennedy.

Treton has educated himself on the pros and cons of going to college or entering the trades and feels like the trades would better prepare him for future success.

Ryan Pérez, Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School

For Ryan Pérez, the electrical trade is a path towards a brighter future. Ryan was born in one of the poorer parts of Los Angeles, but he takes inspiration from other people he has seen be successful in the trades, like his grandfather and his mother’s friend.

Ryan’s grandfather was a welder, and his mother’s friend went to a trade school in California. Ryan saw how they owned their own property and multiple homes and wanted that kind of life for himself. He enrolled in a student-built house program last year and has had fun helping the electricians as much as he can.

He knows being an actual electrician will be harder work and longer hours, but if it brings him as much success as his grandfather and mother’s friend, he is willing to do just that.

What is the Power Your Future Scholarship?

The $1000 Power Your Future scholarship was established in 2019 in recognition of Barry Boyer, former Van Meter President and CEO, and his 25+ years of service. The scholarship is designed to set apprentices up for success by helping fund ancillary expenses like tools, steel-toe boots, outerwear and other applicable fees.

To be eligible for a Power Your Future scholarship, a graduating high school student must be enrolled at Kennedy, Washington, Jefferson or Metro High School in Cedar Rapids and show proof of going into an electrical apprenticeship program with the intention of becoming an electrician. The scholarship is managed and promoted by the Cedar Rapids Community Schools Foundation, which is responsible for vetting and selecting scholarship recipients.