Four CMA Cadets Awarded Crowley Scholarships

Four California Maritime Academy (CMA) cadets were awarded Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial scholarships from the Crowley Maritime Corporation.

The scholarships were presented to cadets Andrew Leonard, Griffin Sims, Bonnie Claire Muchnick and Alex Yonkman by Crowley’s manager for marine development and compliance, Vicky Ellis, at Tuesday’s Containerization & Intermodal Institute’s Connie Awards Dinner in Long Beach, Calif.

“Crowley is proud to support the education of these cadets and future leaders in the U.S. maritime industry,” Ellis said. “Andrew, Griffin, Bonnie and Alex are very deserving recipients of the Crowley scholarships and should all be proud of their academic achievements at CMA.”

Leonard, from Glendale, Ariz., is a senior at CMA. He will graduate in April with a bachelor’s degree in marine transportation and a Third Mate Unlimited Coast Guard license. The summer after his sophomore year, he spent three months working aboard Crowley’s articulated tug-barge (ATB), Integrity/650-4, in the waters between Texas and South Carolina. After graduation, he looks forward to a career at sea. He said that Crowley’s scholarship gave him a great deal of pride as he worked on his academics and training at CMA.

Sims, from Monterey, Calif., is a CMA graduate with a bachelor’s degree in marine transportation and a Third Mate Unlimited Coast Guard license. The summer after his sophomore year, Sims spent three months working aboard Crowley’s Alert class spill prevention and response tug, Aware, in Valdez, Alaska. Receiving the Crowley scholarship made it easier for Griffin to concentrate on his academic studies and he is grateful for the opportunity to represent Crowley.

Muchnick is a junior marine transportation student from Oakland, Calif. As a part of her CMA commercial cruise experience, Muchnick spent the summer sailing aboard the Crowley-managed, Jones Act tanker, Florida, in the U.S. Gulf. After graduation, Muchnick plans to go to sea. She said that she is grateful for the Crowley scholarship, which is allowing her to focus on her education and offering relief for her family’s financial burden.

Yonkman is a marine engineering technology sophomore at CMA. Yonkman is also minoring in marine science and hopes to work on a research vessel in the future. Originally from Whidbey Island, Wash., Yonkman grew up near the sea and chose CMA because of his lifelong interest in the maritime industry. He is looking forward to a commercial cruise with Crowley next summer and is grateful for the financial support this scholarship provides.