Scholarship program awards over $195,000 to 102 collision repair students. CREF also partners with WIN to facilitate $29,500 in scholarships and tool kits for 20 students.
Hoffman Estates, Ill.—The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) continues to invest in the next generation of collision repair professionals through its annual student scholarship program. In 2026, CREF distributed over $195,000 in scholarships to 102 students pursuing careers in the collision industry.
Additionally, for the third consecutive year, the Women’s Industry Network (WIN) partnered with CREF to administer its U.S. scholarship program, awarding $29,500 in scholarships and 20 tool kits to students pursuing collision repair careers.
PPG and the PPG Foundation funded over $40,000 in scholarships, distributed between 14 students. Tristen Jeffrey, of Aims Community College in Windsor, Colo., was awarded a $1,230 PPG MVP Scholarship, while an additional 14 students with a special interest in the painting segment of the industry were each awarded scholarships.
Alex Hernandez of Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho. received $1,743.29, and Diego Juarez of College of Lake County in Grayslake, Ill., was awarded $1,256.71.
Additionally, the 12 recipients of a $3,000 scholarship from the PPG Foundation include:
- Alexis Arrona (Collin College; Allen, TX)
- Elio Cabrera (Lincoln College of Technology; Indianapolis, IN)
- Chris Galaviz (Madison College; Madison, WI)
- Carson Hassemer (Northeast Wisconsin Technical College; Green Bay, WI)
- Gustavo Herrera (Tulsa Tech; Broken Arrow; OK)
- Michael Montalvo (Ohio Technical College; Cleveland, OH)
- Jacqueline Nguyen (Portland Community College; Portland, OR)
- Adam Reichart (Lorenzo Walker Technical College; Fort Myers, FL)
- Alexander Romero (Collin College; Allen, TX)
- Larry Tate (Chattanooga State Community College; Chattanooga, TN)
- Micael Torres (Idaho State University; American Falls, ID)
- Julian Ybarra (St. Philip’s College; San Antonio, TX)
State Farm supported CREF’s efforts to aid students in their studies with a donation of $40,000 in student scholarships, distributed between 16 students, who each received $2,500 toward continuing their education:
- Elio Cabrera (Lincoln College of Technology; Indianapolis, IN)
- Elizabeth Caspers (Rock Valley College; Rockford, IL)
- Enrique Castillo (Green B. Trimble Technical; Fort Worth, TX)
- Aiden Fellows (Warren Tech; Lakewood, CO)
- Collin Fisher (SUNY Alfred State; Wellsville, NY)
- Cole Gullixson (Madison Area Technical College; Madison, WI)
- Diego Juarez (College of Lake County; Grayslake, IL)
- Courteney Lafrenz (Southeast Technical College; Sioux Falls, SD)
- Electra Lucero (Madison Area Technical College; Madison, WI)
- Daniel Murdock (Milwaukee Area Technical College; Oak Creek, WI)
- Jacob Parga (Green B. Trimble Technical High School; Forest Hill, TX)
- Kieran Pavlica (Dakota County Technical College; Rosemount, MN)
- Noel Reyes (Warren Tech; Lakewood, CO)
- Joel Rios (Lincoln College of Technology; Denver, CO)
- Ricardo Rivas (Texas Southmost College; Brownsville, TX)
- Luke Wetherington (Blueridge Community College; Flat Rock, NC)
LKQ continued its efforts to support collision students by donating $20,000 toward scholarships in 2025. Eight students were awarded $2,500 each as follows:
- Angelica Briones (Tennessee College of Applied Technology; Chattanooga, TN)
- Cornelio Campos Nuci (Tennessee College of Applied Technology; Morristown, TN)
- Alice Cook (Collin College; Allen, TX)
- Emanuel Fuentes Anastacio (Tennessee College of Applied Technology – Murfreesboro; Smyrna, TN)
- Ryan Gober (Ooltewah High School; Collegedale, TN)
- Travis Jackson (South Side High School; Jackson, TN)
- Juan Ramos Escobar (Chattanooga State Community College; Chattanooga, TN)
- Madison Warren (Unaka High School; Elizabethton, TN)
In its 14th year, the annual Hire Our Heroes program is a part of 3M’s ongoing efforts to provide military veterans with educational opportunities in the collision repair industry, and the grants are open to collision repair students who currently serve, or recently served, in the U.S. military.
Criteria to be considered for the Hire Our Heroes awards and grants include financial need, future plans and past academic achievement. Thanks to its generous $14,000 donation, 3M’s 2026 Hire Our Heroes scholarships in the amount of $1,750 each were awarded to the following eight military veterans to help them further their collision careers:
- Kevin Alfaro (Universal Technical Institute; Houston, TX)
- Kenny Baynes (Fayetteville Technical Community College; Fayetteville, NC)
- Ivan Correa (Fayetteville Technical Community College; Fayetteville, NC)
- Christopher Elizondo (Amarillo College; Amarillo, TX)
- Demetris Price (Atlanta Technical College; Atlanta, GA)
- Ezekiel Rodriguez (Antelope Valley College; Lancaster, CA)
- Casey Smith (Tennessee College of Applied Technology; Chattanooga, TN)
- Richard Williams (Atlanta Technical College; Atlanta, GA)
Driven Brands partnered with CREF to award 10 $1,000 scholarships to the following future collision repair professionals to help kickstart their careers:
- Emily Carroll (Hennepin Technical College; Brooklyn Park, MN)
- Jordi Garcia (Kennedy-King College; Chicago, IL)
- Katelyn Jenkins (Palomar College; San Marcos, CA)
- Erik Laborin (Tulsa Technology Center; Tulsa, OK)
- Ebraheembeg Mirza (American River College; Sacramento, CA)
- Jacqueline Nguyen (Portland Community College; Portland, OR)
- Maurice Randle (Kennedy-King College; Chicago, IL)
- Isaias Santiago (Metropolitan Community College; Omaha, NE)
- Ben Siekert (Santana High School; Santee, CA)
- Michael Stangler (Minnesota State College Southeast; Winona, MN)
A $10,000 donation from Hearst funded six scholarships, aiding students in reaching their collision aspirations. The following four students were awarded $2,000 scholarships:
- Emmanuel Bucio (Kennedy-King College; Chicago, IL)
- Dylan Fields (Northeast Wisconsin Technical College; Green Bay, WI)
- Jolie Keigley (Des Moines Area Community College; Ankeny, IA)
- Ryndon Olsen (North Dakota State College of Science; Wahpeton, ND)
Additionally, two students were selected to received $1,000 each:
- Olivia Dellinger (Wilkes Community College; Wilkesboro, NC)
- Rodrigo Pedraza (Northeast Arkansas Career and Technical Center; Jonesboro, AR)
In addition to supporting CREF and collision schools and students in myriad other ways, Hertz funded five scholarships in 2026. Each student was awarded $2,000:
- David Foster (Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR)
- Zachary Hale (Vroonland Vanguard High School; Mesquite, TX)
- Jeffrey Martinez (Prairie View High School; Henderson, CO)
- Kennedy McDaniel (Des Moines Area Community College; Ankeny, IA)
- Michael Montalvo (Ohio Technical College; Cleveland, OH)
OEM Roundtable succored the future of the collision repair industry with a $10,000 donation to fund five student scholarships; each of the following five students benefitted from $2,000 scholarship:
- Alexis Arrona (Collin College; Allen, TX)
- Jonatan Huerta De La Cruz (Des Moines Metro Community College; Ankeny, IA)
- Rafael Luna (Collin College; Allen, TX)
- Jaaziel Rodriguez (Cedar Crest; Lebanon, SC)
- Ismael Segovia (Amarillo College; Amarillo, TX)
Three college students will receive a CCC Michael Salvatore Repair Technician Scholarship, valued at $3,000 each. The recipients of CCC’s 2026 student scholarships include:
- Christian Aparicio (Kennedy-King College; Chicago, IL)
- Isabella “Izzy” Malloy (Pennsylvania College of Technology; Williamsport, PA)
- Demetrius Soto (Amarillo College; Amarillo, TX)
Eight students were selected as the recipients of $1,000 scholarships funded by CSN Collision as follows:
- Leo Bartolo (TECC-West; Lewisville, TX)
- Qaiyim Beeks (Hennepin Technical College; Minneapolis, MN)
- Brandon French (El Camino College; Torrance, CA)
- Zachary Hale (Vroonland Vanguard High School; Mesquite, TX)
- Pedro Hernandez (Collin College; Allen, TX)
- Chayse Johnson (El Camino College; Torrance, CA)
- Justin Warneke (Hennepin Technical College; Brooklyn Park, MN)
- Esther Whittlef (Prior Lake High School; Savage, MN)
Six students benefitted from a donation by JW Bagley Foundation Scholarships, a non-industry entity that supports CREF’s mission. Roberto Barrientos (Technical Apprentice Program; Lockhart, TX) and Emerald Manuel (Northeast Community College; Norfolk, NE) each received $2,000 in funding. Scholarships in the amount of $1,000 were bestowed upon the following four students:
- Lucian Machuca (College of Western Idaho; Nampa, ID)
- Julian Minjarez (Collin College; Allen, TX)
- James Mitchell (Freedom High School; Freedom, WI)
- Kyle Tilson (Southwest Wisconsin Technical College; Fennimore, WI)
VIVE Collision awarded $1,000 scholarships to eight students to help them prepare for their future collision industry careers:
- Tiyauna Carter (Rosedale Technical College; Pittsburgh, PA)
- Olivia Cash (Hampton High School; Allison Park, PA)
- Hector Lizardo Alvarez (Dauphin County Technical School; Harrisburg, PA)
- Jocelyn Pandolfo (Pennsylvania College of Technology; Williamsport, PA)
- Brandon Saldana (El Camino College; Los Angeles, CA)
- Jose Sanchez (Davies Career & Technical High School; Lincoln, RI)
- Mia Verri (Rosedale Technical College; Pittsburgh, PA)
- Addison Zick (Pennsylvania College of Technology; Williamsport, PA)
A $3,500 donation from Global Finishing Solutions (GFS) was distributed to four collision students, who each received scholarships for $875:
- Ash Andersen (Wamego High School; Wamego, KS)
- Rihanna Davis (LaFayette High School; Lafayette, GA)
- Gabriella De Leon Humes (Lincoln College of Technology; Indianapolis, IN)
- Samuel Martinez (Warren Tech; Lakewood, CO)
Through a $3,000 donation from Erie Insurance, CREF was able to award two $1,500 scholarships to the following students:
- Trinity Carr (Vanguard Sentinel Career and Technology Center; Fremont, OH)
- Summer Gipple (SUNY Erie Community College; Orchard Park, NY)
AASPI funded a $1,000 scholarship, which was awarded to Alan Perez (College of Lake County; Grayslake, IL).
The Collision Repair Education Foundation Board of Trustees awarded a $1,000 scholarship to Tia Wolffe (Kennedy-King College; Chicago, IL).
The fourth annual Jeff Silver Memorial Scholarship, valued at $500, was awarded to Rachel Santafemia of North Georgia Technical College in Clarkesville, Ga. Established in December 2022, the Jeff Silver Memorial Scholarship honors the memory and long-lasting legacy of Jeff Silver, a respected trailblazer and leader in industry repair standards.
For the third year, the Women’s Industry Network (WIN) partnered with CREF to administer its scholarship program in the U.S. In 2026, WIN awarded $29,500 in monetary scholarships, plus 20 tool kits. Ten Champions each received $2,500 in funding plus shop tools. Nine Trailblazers received $500 scholarships, and 10 Legends received tool kits. All WIN scholarship recipients also received a complimentary WIN Student Membership, WIN Conference virtual pass and will be eligible to participate in WIN’s mentoring program.
Industry members interested in getting involved and supporting the Collision Repair Education Foundation’s efforts to assist high school and college collision repair training programs can Contact Us to learn about the many ways to get involved.
Monetary donations can be made online, or sign up for The Donation Exchange to easily provide in-kind resources that collision repair schools and students desperately need.
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