EDELBROCK AWARDS VIC EDELBROCK SR. MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Barry Derheim is proof
positive that it's never too late to pursue your dreams. At
thirty-seven years of age, Barry is the most senior recipient of this
scholarship and his story is one of experience and persistence. Barry's
automotive passion began at adolescence and continued through high
school. After high school Barry chose to serve our country in the US
Navy where he specialized in quality assurance as a weld inspector.
Following his military service, Barry realized that one thing he really
missed was his passion for everything automotive. This was the point
that Barry set his personal goal to one-day open a resto-mod specialty
business catering to the muscle car and street rod customer. After a
serious focus on working to raise the capital to pay for his education,
Barry chose WyoTech as the cultural and educational institution to
learn the skills required to be a serious professional and business
owner. Barry has completed WyoTech's applied service management
program, is finishing the collision refinishing program and will take
on the high performance engine curriculum beginning in January, 2009.
Upon completion Barry will graduate with his Associates degree in
Specialized Tech.
"Barry is an outstanding young man" states Vic Edelbrock. "My father would be proud of how far this industry has come through continued education - and that's what this scholarship is all about. We still need to work at the local high school and vocational level as the shop programs are always underfunded and have been unjustly sacrificed. We are very fortunate to have a resource in WyoTech as a place where people like Barry can go to learn the skills to realize a dream in an automotive career". When asked about his initial reaction upon learning he had won the scholarship, Barry stated: "It's a huge honor to be recognized by Edelbrock and WyoTech. Beyond the monetary value, this scholarship is symbolic of the hard work that is finally paying off".