Wisconsin EVA Scholarship

By Jeremiah Brockman, Wisconsin EVA President

Five of us stood in the atrium at Lambeau Field, ready for a tour of the coolest venue in the National Football League. Our necks craned as Brett Favre, Reggie White and others looked down from their huge banners.

Interest in the Green Bay Packers was not the reason we had gathered there, nor was it the reason we would go on to drive 659 miles over the next two days, it was simply what kicked off our annual fundraising event.

The Wisconsin EVA’s annual event, which we call “The Road Trip,” was first held in 2024. The event was first conceived as an EV race around the state of Wisconsin. Several chapter members came together to determine that “racing,” along Wisconsin’s roadways was not a good idea. Next it was decided that the Road Trip should be more of a fun event, with a slower pace. This means that the Road Trip is an EV only cruise around the state of Wisconsin with fun stuff to do along the way.

The specific goal of the event is to raise funds for the chapter’s bank account, but what to do from there? What things would we use that money for? How could our chapter give back to the residents of Wisconsin?

Since EVA is an educational nonprofit, we considered using that money to keep events free for people to attend. Another idea kept emerging, among me and other chapter members, for a great way to use the funds…a scholarship.

Enter Bold.org. It was through our partnership with them, and some help from Chris Celek, Aaron Choate and the national EVA board, that we came up with the idea for the Wisconsin EVA scholarship. 2026 was the first year that we awarded scholarships to Wisconsin residents; 4 scholarships at $500 each to be precise. Preference was given to those who demonstrated financial need. Otherwise, there were two requirements.

First, you must be a Wisconsin resident. Second, you must pursue post-high-school education and training to support the future of electric vehicles. Our partnership continues with Bold.org, so another round of scholarships will be awarded in the spring of 2027. Any Wisconsin resident can go to bold.org/scholarships/Wisconsin-EVA-scholarship/ to view the requirements of the scholarship and apply.

A committee of Wisconsin EVA chapter members have been selected. They will gather to determine any changes that need to be made to the scholarship selection criteria year-to-year. This committee will review applications and determine the recipients of the scholarships as a group as well.

As we move closer to the second year of this scholarship, we continue to look for ways to fund the program. If anyone or any business wants to contribute to the scholarship program, please contact me via email (wisceva@gmail.com). As the cost of everything increases, we would love to see the amount awarded be able to increase over the years as well. 100% of donations made to the Wisconsin EVA for the scholarship program will be directed to this program only. Through our partnership with Bold.org, 100% of that money then makes its way to the students who are awarded the scholarship.