3 New Board Members

Questa Education Foundation is governed by our Board of Directors, a dedicated group of volunteers comprised of directors, leaders, and educators in our community. Together our goal is to retain talent here in Northeast Indiana to improve our economy. We do this by financially helping students through low-interest forgivable loans and scholarship opportunities. Questa needs the support of it's board members and community partners to continue serving students well.

We want to thank our previous Secretary James Koday with Barrett McNagny LLP, as well as our Sr. Vice President & Manager Wealth from Lake City Bank, John Steiner. We also thank the late Frances Ganaway for her donations and service on our board. Her great commitment to helping students will not be forgotten.

Below is a list of our new board members, and a little bit about them. They will be serving with us until 2021. Welcome to the Questa team!

Derek Lamle

Accountant | Katz, Sapper & Miller

Derek is a graduate of Columbia City High school (2012) and Manchester University (2016) and is now an audit senior with the CPA firm Katz, Sapper, & Miller, LLP in their downtown Fort Wayne office. He is a Questa scholar alumni and avid proponent of Northeast Indiana. In his free time Derek enjoys visiting his friends in different areas of the country, playing sports, particularly softball and golf now that his competitive playing days are over, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

John Kazcmarczyk

President | Press-Seal Corporation

John is a thirty-seven-year industrial executive mentor of people, processes, and continuous improvement. He has spent twenty-four of those years sharpening his competences within Tier One Automotive, supporting the likes of the Big Three and Transnational companies. Privileged during his tenure to cultivate no less than nine Brown Field start-ups while receiving twice Supplier of the Year from General Motors and several product patents along the passage. He currently holds the position as the President of Press-Seal Corporation where for the last four years he has been a driving force bringing the community together in an effort to find the Next Generation of Providers. He resides north of Fort Wayne with his wife of 33 years.  

Shenita Bolton

Director of College Readiness | Fort Wayne Community Schools

Shenita V. Bolton is the K-12 College and Career Readiness Manager at Fort Wayne Community Schools.  She has a strong passion for working with a diversity of students to ensure they have access and the necessary knowledge and skills to pursue their college and career goals.

Shenita completed her undergraduate degree in theater arts at Earlham College and earned her Master of Education degree at Earlham in 2011. She was employed at Earlham College for twenty years and served as the director of admissions, working closely with the Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing to develop and execute recruitment strategies prior to relocating to Fort Wayne, Indiana three years ago.

She enjoys traveling and has the opportunity to lead missions trips and service trips across the globe.

Welcome New Scholars!

Questa Scholars Funded, Talent Retained in Our Community

Questa Education Foundation is excited to announce 71 new scholars into the Traditional Scholars program.

These students have recently graduated from high school and will be entering college this fall as freshmen. Through the Questa Scholars program, our scholars will be given low-interest forgivable loans to help reduce their college debt. Each of our scholars have unique stories and important aspirations. At Questa, we want to invest in these learners to help them graduate with less debt, explore their passions, and become the talent we need that will improve our local economy.

Questa’s goal is to help with the talent gap. One of our scholars from Burma, now a Fort Wayne resident, shares how she felt when she found out she was accepted as a Questa Scholar, “I am very blessed to be chosen as a Questa Scholar. This program allows me to continue my education with an understanding that many of my financial burdens are lighter because of the forgivable loan program that Questa offers. I feel that I will be able to manage my financial situation better.” Naw Sar Do graduated from Northside High School and plans to attend IU Bloomington to study Physics. Her plans are to move back to the Northeast Indiana area upon graduation to represent the Burmese community in the healthcare field and to be a link to those who do not have access to healthcare.

Student loan debt has surpassed national credit card debt reaching $1.21 trillion, and Questa’s goal to reduce the debt that your scholars have upon graduation. Questa scholars graduate with less debt and receive forgivable loans that are easy to pay off. Our one-of-a-kind funding provides the possibility of receiving loan forgiveness for as much as 75% of the total loan amount! By attending a partner school, students will receive 25% forgiveness, and an additional 50% forgiveness by living and working in the area for five years after graduation..

Questa scholars that have graduated are becoming the talent we need for a thriving economy. Of the students that have graduated in the Questa Scholars program, 80% are graduating in 4 years compared to the national average of 59%.

In addition, over 70% are either staying or return to live and work in our region. The result of the Questa program is, in fact, talent retained in our communities.

A scholar from Whitley County, and a recent graduate from Purdue Fort Wayne, Ali McQueen shares how Questa helped her through her education, “During my senior year of high school, I knew that my four years of college were going to be paid for out of my own pocket. I decided to apply for the Questa program, and now I only owe a small portion of the full loan. It puts me at ease knowing I am not going to be in debt from my college loans for years and years to come.” Ali plans to give back to her community through her Elementary Education degree, and to be a positive influence in young lives in the area.

Questa invests in the lives of these students, so they can thrive and continue to use their talents in the Northeast Indiana workforce. Traditional students, as mentioned above, drive only one part of our strategy. Individuals who did not complete an education, but are already in the workforce, can also be the talent we need with more education or training. Industry Certifications, Associate, and Bachelor degrees are all ways to access livable wage jobs.

How can you help? Become a partner with Questa and help by providing funds for current and future talent needs. The support of our funders and donors is vital for Questa to be able to carry out this mission. Find out more about our forgivable loan programs and how you can partner with us at www.questafoundation.org or give us a call at 260-407-6494.

Meet Juan

Growing up, Juan’s family didn’t have the resources to help him pay for college. He worked two jobs through high school, saving for tuition, but was still worried he wouldn’t be able to afford an education. That’s when a high school guidance counselor told him about Questa.

He applied, and was accepted into the program.

“I think I probably cried, because it was June and school was coming up. It was the greatest feeling in the world to be able to feel that I could breathe.”

Now, Juan is a nursing student at the University of St. Francis. He says Questa has made a difference in his career beyond educational support. Last summer, Questa connected him with an internship at the City of Fort Wayne, where he met civic and industry leaders and spent time with a community of mentors.

After graduation, Juan plans to stay in Fort Wayne and work in area hospitals. He said he believes it’s important to give back to the city that he loves.

“We have to put diverse people in professional careers to be able to grow together,” Juan said. “I’m very thankful to Questa for believing in me and supporting me.”

2018-2019 Traditional Questa Scholar Application To Open Soon!

QUESTA SCHOLARS 2017 PROGRAM APPLICATION BEGINS DECEMBER 1ST

Fort Wayne, IN, November 8, 2017 - Questa Education Foundation is pleased to announce that the Questa Scholars Program application is available earlier than ever in previous years.  It will now begin December 1st through March 1st for early applications.  In addition, there will be second-wave opportunity from March 15th through May 1st.  This is also announced on their website:  www.questafoundation.org.  For high school graduates who are able to complete their FAFSA and college applications earlier this year, Questa has adjusted accordingly so that scholars with a “gap” in funding who are accepted into the program will now receive a financial commitment earlier as well.

Questa Education Foundation offers low-interest forgivable loans for students pursuing a certificate, associate, or bachelor degree from an Indiana college or university. The program offers a unique way for a student to fund the financial “gap” in the cost of attendance. Questa Education Foundation will forgive 50% of the scholars loan balance when the scholar lives and works in northeast Indiana for five years after graduation.  Students who choose to attend and graduate from one of Questa’s eight regional partner schools can also receive an additional 25% forgiveness at graduation.  The Questa Scholars Program allows a student to borrow up to $20,000 and when meeting the qualifying criteria receive the maximum 75% forgiveness, making the remaining balance only $5,000 for the scholar to repay.  The forgiveness feature combined with the low fixed interest rate after graduation makes the program an unbeatable loan option for students and families.

“We are hearing more and more about the talent gap across Northeast Indiana.  Questa is addressing this issue by helping individuals pursue further education.  This is about investing in individuals who want to pursue education and currently have a financial gap. It is about transforming the business landscape by helping people prepare for the economy of the 21st Century.” - Marc R. Levy, Executive Director of Questa Education Foundation.

The funding for this program comes from local and regional foundations, businesses and organizations.  In addition, Questa Education Foundation utilizes interest from the endowment to expand the numbers and geographic reach.  Increased local support is essential for helping people have the access to continued education and preparation for employment in our communities. Questa Education Foundation is a local non-profit serving Northeast Indiana and is dedicated to increasing access to education beyond high school, reduced debt and retention of talent.  For more information on Questa Education Foundation programs and completing the application visit the website at www.questafoundation.org or call us at 260-407-6494 ###