Stiens Memorial Scholarship gives 3 awards

Lori and Steve Sears presented the first three scholarships for $1,500 each to Northwest Technical School graduating seniors, James Jathan Ungles, Madelyn Swinford and Mia Roush, in the memory of their son, Cody Lee Stiens.

Roush plans to attend North Central Missouri College, Trenton, to study nursing. Ungles plans to attend Southeast Community College, Milford, NE, with the John Deere Tech program. Swinford plans to attend State Technical College of Missouri, Linn, to study welding.

When addressing the assembled students and parents, Steve Sears said, “Our hearts are in this 100 percent. We feel privileged to help you move forward. Next year, we are hoping to give twice as many recipients.”

The students can reapply for additional scholarship money as long as they are still enrolled and passing their classes.

Cody Stiens was born in Maryville, to his mother, Lori and father, Kevin in 1987. He attended St. Gregory Catholic School and graduated from Maryville High School in 2006. He was active in 4-H through eighth grade. During high school, Cody was active in FFA and worked at Hy-Vee and Orscheln Farm and Home. Cody also helped his father, Kevin, on the family farm.

After high school graduation, he attended Southeast Community College, Milford, NE and received his associates degree in electrical engineering and graduated at the top of his class in 2008.

He was recruited to work at Trane in Kansas City as an HVAC technician and continued working for Trane for 10 years in Kansas City, Springfield, Minneapolis, MN and Phoenix, AZ moving into a project manager position. During his career, Cody traveled to Belgium where he taught a class relating to his skills.

His family is proud to establish this scholarship fund so his legacy of hard work and passion for the trade/technical fields may be realized by other students who show the same determination.

To make a gift to the scholarship fund, make checks payable to Cody Lee Stiens Memorial Scholarship Fund and mail to Lori Sears at 3948 East Sunnydale Drive, Queen Creek, AZ 85142 or Kevin Stiens at 29845 US Highway 136, Maryville, MO 64468. Donations may also be made at any US Bank Branch to Cody Lee Stiens Memorial Scholarship Fund. A tax-deductible contribution receipt is available on request.

The family is also planning fundraisers to raise funds for the scholarships.