MINSTER – A 2021 Fort Loramie High School graduate was one of two students who received scholarships from Garmann Miller, a Minster-based firm that specializes in architecture and engineering.

Garmann Miller introduced its corporate scholarship program in 2021, which helps fund higher education for graduating high school seniors who are seeking careers in professional design.

After a thorough review of 23 applicants, a $1,000 scholarship was awarded to Caely Ressler, of Napoleon High School, while Ava Grudich, of Fort Loramie High School, was the recipient of $500. Ressler is attending Baldwin Wallace University to pursue a degree in engineering, and Grudich is an industrial design major at the University of Cincinnati.

“The scholarship program allows us to invest in our industry’s future innovators,” Garmann Miller CEO Eric Baltzell said. “We feel it’s important to give back to the communities that have supported us.”

The scholarship program was launched by the firm’s Game Changers committee, a group of Garmann Miller employees who plan and perform philanthropic endeavors. The committee contacted guidance counselors of school districts with whom Garmann Miller is partnering on a design project or districts that recently have worked with Garmann Miller.

Eligible students were those seeking a career in architecture, engineering, interior design, landscape architecture or a closely related field. The committee developed an application that challenged students to answer essay questions about their future career path and the community impact they hoped to make through their profession.

Ressler and Grudich both expressed their gratitude.

“I am very honored to have received this award,” Grudich said. “I really appreciate the time that the scholarship committee took to review my application. This scholarship will be put to great use in going toward paying for my tuition at UC.”