Clarios and FIRST® Wisconsin Award Scholarships to Students
Pictured from left to right are Becker-Blau; Elizabeth Powers, Chief Human Resources Officer, Clarios; Chad Steighner, Chief Digital and Information Officer, Clarios; Esmeier; Konda-Gopinath; Craig Rigby, Vice President, Business Development; and Fuhr.
GLENDALE, WI, September 5, 2024 — Clarios, producer of one in three of the world’s car batteries, last week presented two students who participated in FIRST robotics competitions in high school with scholarships totaling $5,000 at its corporate headquarters in Glendale, Wisconsin. Partnering with FIRST® Wisconsin on the initiative, Clarios hosted scholarship winners Abigail Esmeier and Prathmesh Konda-Gopinath for the presentation, a recognition lunch, and tour of the facility, where they both had the opportunity to meet with representatives and executives from both organizations.
Standing out amongst nearly 20 applicants, Esmeier and Konda-Gopinath were selected as a result of their essays explaining how their experience with robotics in high school influenced their decision to major in a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) field in college. Each applicant had to be enrolled in a STEM major at a two-year or four-year college in Wisconsin to be eligible. During a fully blind process, a team from Clarios did the initial selection of candidates, narrowing down the list to eight, while officials from FIRST Wisconsin chose the final two winners. Esmeier is currently attending the Milwaukee School of Engineering and is studying Computer Science. Konda-Gopinath is a senior at the University of Wisconsin – Madison and is majoring in Computer Engineering and Data Science. He was an intern at Clarios in 2023 and 2024.
“The Clarios and FIRST Wisconsin partnership is focused on supporting the education and development of technical leaders,” said Jason Fuhr, Director of Engineering, Clarios, and a member of the Board of Directors for FIRST Wisconsin. “Our two scholarship recipients demonstrated how their experiences in FIRST Robotics grew their technical and leadership skills, as well as their community involvement and impact, and how it has helped shape their future career goals.”
Added Renee Becker-Blau, president, FIRST Wisconsin: "FIRST Wisconsin exists to prepare young people for tomorrow by providing life-changing robotics programs that build the skills, confidence, and resilience needed to create a better world. For over twenty-five years, we’ve been a vital part of Wisconsin’s STEM and Tech Pipeline, demonstrating that youth participation in FIRST is a powerful workforce development solution.
“The two Clarios scholarships, awarded through the FIRST Wisconsin Scholarship Program, underscore our shared commitment with Clarios to celebrate and support the next generation of science and technology leaders. Clarios' forward-thinking partnership has been instrumental in connecting students with Wisconsin’s leading companies, bridging the gap between education and industry, and helping to bring our vision of a better future to life."
Pictured from left to right are Esmeier and Konda-Gopinath with Clarios President and CEO Mark Wallace.
About Clarios
Clarios is the global leader in advanced, low-voltage battery technologies for mobility. Our batteries and smart solutions power nearly every type of vehicle and are found in 1 of 3 cars on the road today. With around 18,000 employees in over 100 countries, we bring deep expertise to our Aftermarket and OEM partners, and reliability, safety and comfort to everyday lives. We answer to the planet with a rigorous sustainability focus – advancing best-in-class sustainability practices and advocating for them across our industry. We work to ensure 100% of our products sold are recyclable, and we recycle 8,000 batteries an hour in our network. Clarios is a Brookfield portfolio company.
About FIRST Wisconsin
FIRST Wisconsin exists to prepare the young leaders of today for the world of tomorrow. Through mentorship partnered with hands-on learning, problem-solving connected to community engagement, and core values applied in times of intense competition, FIRST Wisconsin provides life-changing robotics programs that give young people the skills, confidence, and resilience to build a better world.
Our goal, as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to spreading the reach of the FIRST program throughout the state of Wisconsin, is to ensure every student throughout the state of Wisconsin has the opportunity to choose if they would like to participate in every FIRST program.
FIRST Wisconsin operates the FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST Robotics Competition programs in this community.