NIADA Names 2014 Scholarship Winners

Five young men and women were named as the recipients of the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association’s 2014 Scholarship Awards during the 68th Annual NIADA Convention and Expo at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

Kayla M. Stock, a junior majoring in automotive marketing and management at Northwood University in Midland, Mich., was awarded the NIADA/AutoTrader.com National Scholarship.

Ian Peczak of Basking Ridge, N.J., earned NIADA’s scholarship from Region I, joining Daniel Hott of Clarksville, Tenn. (Region II), Alex Holtz of Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Region III) and Bradley Davis of Antelope, Calif. (Region IV) as winners of NIADA’s regional scholarships.

Each year, the NIADA Foundation proudly sponsors a student who has displayed outstanding abilities in education from each of the association’s four regions across the nation with a $3,500 scholarship to the college or university of his or her choice, thanks to the assistance of AutoTrader.com.

The foundation and AutoTrader.com also award a $10,000 national scholarship each year for an outstanding student to attend or continue his or her education at Northwood University in an automotive-related field.

All students’ entries are judged by Northwood University.

Stock, from Lapeer, Mich., has been on the dean’s list every semester since enrolling at Northwood. She is a member of the campus’ Automotive Group and is on the executive board of Delta Zeta sorority. This summer she is interning with Penske Automotive Group in Indianapolis, getting hands-on experience in the automotive world by rotating among 10 departments in 10 weeks.

Asked what she wants to do after college, Stock said, “I don’t know what exactly, but I do know as long as I am doing something with cars for the rest of my life I will be the happiest person on this planet.”

Peczak is headed to Yale University to pursue research in materials engineering and chemistry with a goal of improving the structure and components of car engines to make them more efficient and environmentally friendly. The captain of the Ridge High School swim team volunteers at the local YMCA, teaching aquatic skills to children with disabilities during the Saturdays in Motion program. Peczak also plays violin and piano and holds a second degree black belt in Taekwondo.

Hott, from Rossville High School, will major in mechanical engineering Tennessee Tech with plans for a career as an automotive engineer after graduation. He has already designed and built his own car – a 1969 Mustang built with components he adapted from current vehicles – a project that took four years to complete. Holt repairs cars for people in his community who can’t afford a mechanic, does home repairs for the elderly and reads to young children in the local elementary school’s special reading program.

Holtz grew up in the automotive industry – his grandfather runs an independent automobile dealership and his brother and uncles are in the repair/service end of the business. He was an honor roll student at John F. Kennedy High School, where he earned a Certiport Certification in AutoCAD. He plans to attend Kirkwood Community to study computer-assisted design and mechanical engineering technology.

Davis, whose brother, Taylor, won the NIADA Region IV scholarship in 2012, will follow Taylor to Brigham Young University to major in business and engineering, with the goal of owning an automotive-related business. Brad Davis played basketball and volleyball at Antelope High School, where he was a member of the National Honor Society and the Engineering Society. He is also an Eagle Scout an Eagle Scout an Eagle Scout an Eagle Scout an Eagle Scout and a leader in his church youth group.