For Mackenzy Groll, the J.B. Rogers Scholarship provides a tremendous confidence boost as she enters adulthood and continues her education.

Mackenzy is a recent graduate of Cactus High School, where she played volleyball. She is planning on attending Phoenix College in the fall, where she is entering the Paralegal Studies Program. The J.B. Rogers Scholarship is a $3,000 award, which Mackenzy will receive during each year of her paralegal program.

“Most scholarships are available and awarded to 4.0 GPA students,” Mackenzy says. “I think it shows a lot about what SMACNA stands for that they awarded this scholarship to an average student like me; it shows that they value and believe in not just one kind of student.”

Moreover, the scholarship has given Mackenzy tremendous belief in herself and her abilities as she furthers her education.

“Winning this scholarship really gave Mackenzy confidence,” her father, Ken Groll, shares. “It showed her that her education and dreams are valuable.”

Besides being a tremendous financial help for Mackenzy’s family, it also helped push her to make a decision about her future. She was unsure of what she wanted to do after high school, but the scholarship provided her the opportunity to pursue education in a field she discovered would be rewarding.

“My aunt is a personal injury attorney and thinking about how she helps people every day really inspired me to pursue a career in the legal field,” Mackenzy explains. “And receiving this scholarship really forced me to think about what I want out of a career, and make a decision.”

Her father, Ken Groll, is the Service Team Lead at Bel-Aire Mechanical. He has been in the trade for more than 30 years, and always instilled in his children the importance of hard work and self-determination. He is proud that Mackenzy is taking these lessons seriously as she enters the next phase of her life.

“Being in the trades, sometimes you are away from your family upwards of 60-70 hours a week,” Ken explains. “When my kids were younger, I took them to jobsites to show them what hard work looks like and what kept me away from them so often.”

Above all, Mackenzy and her father are grateful for the opportunity SMACNA provided them through the J.B. Rogers Scholarship. For more information on this and other SMACNA scholarships, visit: https://www.smacna.org/about-us/college-of-fellows-scholarship.