Penn College News

Ford ASSET student awarded automotive scholarship

Thursday, June 6, 2019

A Pennsylvania College of Technology student enrolled in the college’s Ford ASSET major and working at a Tioga County dealership has received a $5,000 scholarship from the Pennsylvania Automotive Association.

Derek T. Dreps, of Liberty, was presented with a check in the Parkes Automotive Technology Center in late May. The PAA Automotive Technology Scholarship, awarded through a fund within the PAA Foundation to a student in a qualifying academic program, is renewable for an additional year.



Scholarship recipient Derek T. Dreps (holding check) is surrounded by well-wishers in the Parkes Automotive Technology Center. From left are Chad Koch, general sales manager at Blaise Alexander Ford of Mansfield; Ralph Diodata, chief financial officer, Blaise Alexander Family Dealerships; Deni Cecco, regional manager for the Pennsylvania Automotive Association; Dreps’ parents, Kendra and Michael; and Aubrey and Adam Alexander.“Derek is a deserving student and a fine example of the type of student needed for the future of the automotive repair industry,” said John R. Cuprisin, associate professor of automotive technology: Ford ASSET.

A joyful Drep holds high the fruits of academic success.On hand for the presentation to Dreps, who is in the midst of an eight-week paid internship with Blaise Alexander Ford of Mansfield, were parents Michael and Kendra; Chad Koch, general sales manager at the dealership; Ralph Diodata, chief financial officer for Blaise Alexander Family Dealerships; Deni Cecco, PAA regional manager; and brothers Adam and Aubrey Alexander.

“We are proud of Derek for receiving the award, but we are even more proud to have a young individual in our shop with such a strong work ethic and level head,” said Aubrey Alexander, of Blaise Alexander Family Dealerships, who serves on the board of the Penn College Foundation and is a 2009 graduate in business administration: management information systems concentration.

For information about Penn College’s automotive technology majors – including the Ford ASSET emphasis – visit the School of Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies or call 570-327-4516.

For more about the college, a national leader in applied technology education, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.