GAAS PR 04-08  
For more information, contact:
Margaret Beck, MEMA
919-406-8828

Online Applications Available Now
For 2008 GAAS Scholarships: Deadline Is March 31 

Research Triangle Park, N.C. – Applications are now being accepted online for the 2008
Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) scholarship, awarded to students planning automotive aftermarket careers. The application process is now entirely electronic through the GAAS scholarship Web site, www.automotivescholarships.com. 

The deadline to apply is Monday, March 31, 2008. 

The scholarships are available to students in two-year technical college programs and vocational schools and four-year college programs. To receive a GAAS scholarship, applicants must be enrolled full-time in a college-level program or a NATEF (National Automotive Technician Education Foundation) accredited automotive technical program. Graduate programs and parttime undergraduate programs do not qualify. 

The GAAS scholarship is unique in that technician recipients can receive two financial grants: one while in school to assist with tuition and an equivalent grant awarded to scholarship recipients who graduate from their program and show proof of post-graduation employment as a technician in the automotive aftermarket for at least six months. 

In 2007 the GAAS scholarship fund awarded a total of 154 students with scholarships, bringing the total number of recipients to more than 1,300 students. The scholarship has presented more than $1.3 million in awards in its 13-year history.
The annual investment to develop future automotive aftermarket industry leaders is funded through proceeds from the annual Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium. 

Additional funding comes from R.L. Polk, the Udell Family Charitable Foundation and the University of the Aftermarket Foundation. 

The GAAS scholarship Website and online application also support other automotive
scholarships. By completing a single online application at the GAAS Web site, students will be considered for GAAS scholarships, plus scholarships from the following organizations: 

• AAACT – Automotive Aftermarket Association of the Carolinas and Tennessee (regional association for residents of North and South Carolina and Tennessee)
• AAAS – Automotive Aftermarket Association Southeast (regional association for
  residents of Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi)
• APSA – Automotive Parts & Services Association (regional association for residents of Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming)
• APSA of IL – Automotive Parts and Service Association of Illinois (regional association for residents of Illinois)
• Breslow Foundation
• Zurich High Octane Scholarships – funded by a grant from Zurich.

About the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium
The annual two-day Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium brings together industry
leaders and experts to examine the issues and trends affecting the automotive aftermarket and influencing its future. The 2008 event is set for Tuesday and Wednesday, May 20-21, at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare, Chicago, Ill. Details are at www.globalsymposium.org. 

About the GAAS Scholarship Program
The GAAS program is a joint professional education effort of the Alliance of State Automotive Aftermarket Associations (ASAAA), Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA), Automotive Industries Association (AIA) of Canada, Automotive Parts Rebuilders Association (APRA), Automotive Service Association (ASA), Automotive Warehouse Distributors Association (AWDA), Motorist Assurance Program (MAP), Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA), Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), Tire Industry Association (TIA) and University of the Aftermarket.

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