ERIK SANZENBACH / L’Observateur / April 1, 2000

LAPLACE – The Dupont Chemical Co. is helping two local students continuetheir educations.

Whitney Hickerson, community relations supervisor of Dupont, on Monday awarded two $500 scholarships to 18-year-old Orlando Labiche and 16-year- old Ronald Loper.

The scholarships will allow Labiche and Loper to attend the Louisiana Technical College – River Parishes campus for a year.

The two students, who have been working with Clarence Brown, job specialist with Jobs for American Graduates, and have demonstrated the necessary qualifications to win the Dupont Chemical Solutions Scholarship.

Hickerson said, “The young men have shown a lot of community and church involvement. Plus they have maintained a grade point average of 2.5 andgotten ACT scores of 15 or better.”The only other requirement for the scholarship is the recipients go to Louisiana Technical College – River Parishes campus.

Labiche and Loper have been working toward their general equivalency diplomas with the help of Brown at the Jobs Training Partnership Act office in Reserve.

Labiche got his GED in January, and Loper has a few more months to go.

Labiche is going to use his scholarship to study computers. But what hereally wants to do is write. While working toward his high-school diploma,Labiche was the editor of the JPTA newsletter. He thinks learning computerswill help him when he gets into journalism.

Loper, whose family lives in Garyville, wants to study air conditioning and refrigeration. He is no stranger in that field. Members of his family havebackgrounds in A/C.

“I would like to have my own air-conditioning business one day,” said Loper.

Dupont also hopes these two students will apply at Dupont after their graduation from technical school.

“While at the technical school, they will have to take courses in process technology,” said Hickerson. “And we need people with that sort of training tohelp our workforce.”Whatever Labiche and Loper decide to do with their lives, their desire to continue their education is what matters to JTPA.

“Getting these scholarships is very important,” said Brown. “It shows thatpeople can succeed.”

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