October 18, 2024

East Mississippi Community College sophomore Jonathan Forrester is among 14 community college and university students statewide named as Mississippi Automotive Manufacturers Association (MAMA) 2024-25 scholarship recipients.

Forrester, who earned a certificate in EMCC’s Automotive Technology program earlier this year, is enrolled in the Diesel Mechanic program on the college’s Golden Triangle campus.

He was awarded a $2,500 scholarship from what was described in a MAMA press release as an “outstanding applicant pool.”

Forrester said he is excited about the scholarship award and appreciative for what he has learned at EMCC.

“The automotive and diesel programs are great,” he said. “The training is definitely more in-depth than I thought it would be, especially on the electrical side.”

EMCC Automotive Technology/Diesel Mechanics Department Head Dale Henry believes Forrester is the first student from the department awarded a MAMA scholarship. In a letter of recommendation to MAMA, Henry described Forrester as a model student and stated that he always went above and beyond in fulfilling class assignments and helping fellow classmates.

“He passed all 10 of his ASE Entry Level Exams on his first attempt, finished the year as the only student with a 4.0 GPA and was named the Outstanding Student in Automotive Technology this year,” Henry wrote.

A Sturgis, Mississippi native, Forrester now resides just outside of Starkville. He said he became interested in mechanics as a youth helping his grandfather, who worked at Mississippi State University’s R.R. Foil Plant Science Center, known by many as North Farm.

“He was a mechanic who worked on a lot of the farm equipment and tractors out there and I would help him sometimes,” Forrester said. “I thought, ‘I want to do that.’ I want to be a farm technician. I enjoy working on tractors a lot more than I do cars.”

According to a MAMA press release, the agency’s scholarship fund has supported 243 students with a total of $437,500 in scholarship disbursements since 2006. This year’s scholarships were awarded to technical and engineering-related majors, as well as non-traditional majors, that can be applied within the automotive industry.

“We are proud that Mississippi’s higher education system has invested heavily in educational opportunities and facilities which ensure the state will be able to produce the talented workforce necessary to keep the automotive industry strong,” MAMA President Skip Skaggs states in the press release. “MAMA is committed to doing our part to recognize that workforce. I congratulate each of these students and wish them success in completing their degree, followed by a successful start in our industry.”