The ARA Foundation last week announced it has awarded $28,000 in scholarships to 17 students from throughout the United States, all pursuing careers in the equipment rental industry. Scholarship awards ranged from $500 to $3,000.

Jennifer Kasten of Rental Land, Cape Girardeau, Mo., was selected for the ARA Foundation/ARA Insurance Services Scholarship of $3,000, the top scholarship award. Her grandfather, Eugene Kasten, and her father, Mark Kasten, are the owners of the rental business. She is attending Southeast Missouri State University, pursuing a degree in organizational leadership and political science, and is scheduled to graduate in December.

For the 2007-2008 academic year, the Foundation’s board of trustees added two additional scholarships specifically for students attending technical or vocational schools. The scholarships, worth $500 each, bring the total scholarships awarded this year to 17, up from 15 last year.

Scholarship recipients were chosen by the Foundation’s scholarship committee. All ARA Foundation scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, leadership, rental industry involvement, a written essay on the applicant’s future plans in the rental industry, and references. Applicants must be owners, managers or employees of equipment rental stores, or their family members.

Funds for the scholarships are the direct result of contributions to the ARA Foundation from all facets of the rental industry. Continuing to expand the reach of the scholarship program to provide opportunities for those new to the rental industry is among the Foundation’s long-term goals.