Metallica Scholars: CSI receives $75,000 from heavy metal legend’s technical training scholarship program
Idaho’s Twin Falls Students in five programs at the College of Southern Idaho will receive scholarship cash to assist launch their future careers, thanks to one of the most well-known heavy metal bands in the world.
“What? Does a rock band want to help me with my schooling? Matt Quesnell, chair of the CSI Agriculture Department, stated, “I think that’s really cool.”
WATCH: Legendary heavy metal band Metallica donates $75,000 to CSI:
The Metallica Scholars Initiative has been providing millions of dollars in scholarship funding to community colleges nationwide for the past seven years to support in-demand technical and trade programs.
The College of Southern Idaho will get a $75,000 portion of a $3 million pool for the first time this year.
Agribusiness, Animal Science, Aquaculture, Ag Diesel, and Heavy-Duty Truck Diesel are the five programs at CSI that will notably benefit from the funding.
According to Barry Pate, CSI Dean of Technical Education, “a program like this has significant tool expenses, which can range from $5,000 to $7,000, depending on the program.” “As soon as they begin buying those tools, students require this assistance. The costs may be somewhat lower for other programs, but they will still require things like personal protective equipment.
According to Pate, the scholarship money will assist students in defraying the frequently high expenses of buying the supplies and machinery needed for their courses. The program for heavy-duty truck diesel has the highest initial expenditures.
“This particular scholarship will provide students with $1,500 toward their tool kit, which they will keep throughout the program and take with them when they start working,” Pate stated.
For Quesnell and his future agricultural professionals, the Metallica Scholars Initiative is a gift from the “heavy metal gods.”
“It’s encouraging to see that society and groups like Metallica want to support our students and help them develop skills to enter the workforce and be productive,” Quesnell said.
According to him, students would buy books and all the equipment and tools they need to get started with their portion of the money.
“We need to get additional information, so I’m not precisely sure how many students will get scholarships. But it will probably be a sizable portion of our pupils,” Quesnell stated.
Not only did CSI get funding for its technical programs, but the College of Western Idaho in Nampa also benefited from the Metallica Scholarship.
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