The NATSO Foundation Awards $25,000 in Scholarships 2016 Scholarship Application Process Open

The legacy of the Bill Moon Scholarship continued in 2015 when The NATSO Foundation presented five students with ties to the truckstop and travel plaza industry $5,000 each to put toward their studies. The Bill Moon Scholarship Program has been changing lives for more than 20 years, awarding more than $300,000 in scholarships to date.

This year’s recipients include repeat winners, a truckstop employee and dependents of truckstop employees. The winners of the NATSO Foundation’s 2015 Bill Moon Scholarship are:

Alexander Barsa: Barsa is an employee at Kingtown Truck Stop in Ledgewood, N.J. He works in maintenance and is starting his second year at County College of Morris in Randolph, N.J., where he is majoring in mechanical engineering technology.

DeShawn Blanding: Blanding worked at the Country Pride restaurant at Travel Centers of America #179 in Manning, S.C., for two years until leaving this summer to pursue his education. His mother, Barbara Blanding, has worked at the location for 30 years and is the assistant general manager. Blanding is pursuing environmental studies as a freshman at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

Daryll Marie Carlson: This is the second time Carlson received the Bill Moon Scholarship. She is entering her junior year studying marine biology at Stanford University in Stanford, Calif. Her father, Daryll Carlson, is the maintenance manager at the Sacramento 49er Travel Plaza in Sacramento, Calif.

Maraid Jimenez: Jimenez is entering the University of California at Berkley as a freshman. She plans to major in either Latin American studies or society and environment. Her mother works in food prep at Sacramento 49er Travel Plaza in Sacramento, Calif.

Victoria Stavish: This is the fourth year Stavish has received the Bill Moon Scholarship. She is enrolled at the University of Montana Skaggs School of Pharmacy doctorate program. Stavish’s mother, Lori Stavish, works at Muralt’s Travel Plaza in Missoula, Mont. In the past, Stavish has worked for All Events Catering, which is also owned by the Muralt family. 

The NATSO Foundation’s scholarship program is named after Bill Moon, who founded the Iowa 80 Group and made substantial contributions to NATSO, actively supporting and participating in industry-related government affairs issues. He served as chairman of NATSO in 1989 and as the first chairman of the NATSO Foundation in 1990.

The NATSO Foundation releases the scholarship application each fall and applicants are judged through an independent review with selections based on academic merit, financial need, community activities and a short essay. The scholarships are open to truckstop and travel plaza owners and operators, their employees and their legal dependents. 

The NATSO Foundation is now accepting applications for the 2016 Bill Moon Scholarship. Applications must be postmarked by May 15, 2016. Find out more information and download the Bill Moon Scholarship Application on NATSO's website.