CLEVELAND, July 7 — Rachel McWilliams, daughter of BLET member Robby L. McWilliams, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the Union Plus Scholarship Program.
Brother McWilliams, a Union Pacific locomotive engineer, is a member of BLET Division 664 in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Rachel McWilliams is a young woman of unusually diverse interests. The longtime choir member has a passion for singing, and her intended major in college is music education. Rachel has also been involved with her local 4-H program for several years. She likes baking and also enjoys big game hunting. She has explored a wide variety of interests while also giving back to her community as a volunteer. Rachel gives credit to her father’s BLET membership for the stability her family has enjoyed — stability that has helped her to enjoy such rich and diverse experiences.
“My father has remained gainfully employed during these tough economic times and I give full credit to the union for its strength in keeping his job secure,” she said.
BLET National President Dennis R. Pierce congratulated the McWilliams family and encouraged other BLET families to apply for Union Plus scholarships next year. Deadline for the 2012 Union Plus Scholarship Program is January 31, 2012. Interested parties can find applications online at the Union Plus website.
Overall, Union Plus awarded $150,000 in scholarships to 130 students representing 43 unions for the upcoming 2011-2012 school year.
Union Plus Scholarship awards are granted to students attending a two-year college, four-year college, graduate school or a recognized technical or trade school. Since starting the program in 1991, Union Plus has awarded $3 million in educational funding to more than 2,100 union members, spouses and dependent children. Recipients are selected based on academic ability, social awareness, financial need and appreciation of labor.
Union Plus also offers scholarships to help union members and leaders finish their degrees through the online program at the National Labor College.
For more information, visit www.unionplus.org.