BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (BRAIN) — The 16 recipients of the 2017 Women's Bicycle Mechanics Scholarship have been announced by the program's organizers: QBP and co-title sponsors SRAM, Park Tool, Michelin and UBI.
The women will attend UBI's Professional Shop Repair and Operations Workshop in Ashland, Oregon, later this month. This class is the second all-women class of this two-week mechanics training. The scholarship covers the winners' tuition and lodging and provides a small stipend to help defray the personal expenses of travel and meals.
Organizers said the scholarship was created with two goals in mind: "Keep, encourage and grow the careers of talented women working in the cycling industry through the development of technical skills and knowledge" and "Better serve and grow women ridership."
They said the ultimate goal is to advance specialty bicycle retail through growth in women's cycling
Other sponsors include Jagwire, Saris, Kryptonite, White Lightning, Stan's NoTubes, DT Swiss, Swiftwick and Dero.
The scholarship has grown significantly since it began in 2014, when two scholarships were offered. With the 16 women to attend this year, 44 women have or will have attended this professional mechanics training.
More than 300 qualified women applied for the scholarships. "Every applicant expressed commitment to growing women in cycling, and many have been actively working to make this happen. In addition to this commitment and active work, the 16 women chosen stood out because of their personal leadership in growing women's cycling in their area," organizers said.
The 2017 scholarship recipients and the retailers they work for:
- Allison Greenlee, Good Karma Bikes, San Jose, Calif.
- Ashanti Austin, The Hub Bike Co-op, Minneapolis, Minn.
- Bryonna Baines, Cycles for Change, St. Paul, Minn.
- B Vivit, Huckleberry Bicycles, San Francisco, Calif.
- Camille Lampel, Kween Kargo Bike Shop, Brooklyn, N.Y.
- Cassandra Faustini, The Devil's Gear, New Haven, Conn.
- Danielle Fry, Ogden Bicycle Collective, Ogden, Utah
- Danni Limonez, West Town Bikes, Chicago, Ill.
- Elizabeth Bejan, Revolve Community Bike Shops, Kansas City, Mo.
- Elyse Bejasa, Dashing Bicycles, New Orleans, La.
- Geneva Balladares, The Bike Shop Hawaii, Hawaii
- Kelly Paduch, Rocktown Bicycles, Harrisonburg, Va.
- Laura Solis, Western Bike Works, Tigard, Ore.
- Lee James, 718 Cyclery, Brooklyn, N.Y.
- Sara Ramirez, Bikes Together, Denver, Colo.
- Vera Arias, The Miami Bike Shop, Miami, Fla.
