Photo Caption: Trine University mechanical engineering major Dakota Carter, center, receives the Stino-AFS Future Leadership of Metalcasting Scholarship from Michael Halsband, left, CEO of Sinto America and AFS board member, and Jordan Brown, executive vice president of BCI Solutions and chair of AFS Young Professionals.

Dakota Carter, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering at Trine University, recently won the Stino-AFS Future Leadership of Metalcasting Scholarship.

The Stino-AFS Future Leadership of Metalcasting Scholarship is sponsored by the American Foundry Society (AFS). The scholarship is open to any university student in North America with an interest in a career in leadership in the metal casting industry.

Michael Halsband, CEO of Sinto America and AFS board member, presented the scholarship to Dakota during the 2023 Future Leaders of Metalcasting Annual Meeting, held Oct. 23-25 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

Found out through AFS

Dakota found out about the opportunity after being encouraged to sign up for AFS by Darryl Webber, Ph.D., chair of Trine's Wade Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

He described the application process: "I had to write a 250-500-word career objective statement that considered many things, such as my interests/strengths in cast metals, examples of my leadership skills, the importance of the scholarship to me, and my work experience."

"I then had to obtain a recommendation letter from a professor that spoke to my leadership abilities, integrity and metalcasting activities," he said, highlighting the diligence required to be considered for such a prestigious scholarship.

"My advice to future applicants to this or another scholarship would be that they should start writing the essay way before the deadline, and they should write more than the length requirement at first."

Dakota said the $4,000 scholarship will help him focus on his academics and goals.

"I tend to worry about my finances, and this definitely will help provide some relief," he said.

The American Foundry Society is a technical, professional, and trade association. With chapters around the world, the organization exists "to advance the success of its members and the metalcasting industry through advocacy, education, and innovation."