The Roofing Alliance announced the scholarship recipients for the 2026-2027 Melvin Kruger Scholarship program.
“Scholarships are one of the most meaningful ways we can invest in the future of our industry,” said executive director Alison LaValley. “By supporting students pursuing careers in construction management and related fields, we’re not only helping them achieve their educational goals, we’re strengthening the workforce and ensuring the roofing industry has the talented leaders it needs for tomorrow.”
Melvin Kruger Scholarship recipients:
- Garrett Beckstead, Construction Management, Louisiana State University
- Nasheed Benjamin, Construction Science Management, Tuskegee University
- Jaleni Diaz De Leon, Construction Science Management, Colorado State University
- Carter Dominique, Construction Management, Ohio State University
- Tanner Gawith, Construction Science Management, Tuskegee University
- Sascha Oliveira, Sports Management, Penn State York
- Rylee Raukits, Construction Management, University of Florida
- Yahir Reyes-Morga, Architectural Technology–3D Scanning & Building Information Modeling, Forsyth Technical Community College
- Alessandro Rignanese, Construction Management, Florida International University
- Ashwin Varadhan, Architecture, Auburn University
- Norman Warcholik, Business Management, Arizona State University
- Austin Ziringer, Civil Engineering, Columbus State Community College
- Kyle Ziringer, Construction Systems Management and Business Administration, Ohio State University
A total of $59,000 was awarded for new scholarships, with an additional $55,000 for 12 renewal scholarships. To date, 186 students have received $1,366,500 in scholarship awards.
The Melvin Kruger Scholarship program offers two scholarship opportunities: the Accredited University Scholarship and the Accredited CTE Scholarship.
The Roofing Alliance previously offered three scholarship categories but reduced the program to two this year.
Both scholarships are open to employees of roofing industry companies, their spouses, and dependent children. The program is open to undergraduate construction management students or those enrolled in career and technical education programs, regardless of industry affiliation.
Details for the 2027-2028 Melvin Kruger Scholarship program will be available in early October.
The scholarship program is named after Melvin Kruger of L.E. Schwartz & Son Inc. (Macon, Ga.), a former president of the National Roofing Contractors Association and the principal fundraiser at the time the Roofing Alliance was established.
The Roofing Alliance is an industry organization with more than 210 members that supports education, research, workforce development, scholarships, and other initiatives that advance the roofing industry.
