Helsel receives AFSCME scholarship for essay

Oct. 20, 2020

Stone Helsel, a Slippery Rock University sophomore secondary education major from Mercer, wrote an essay that helped earn him a $1,500 scholarship from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Council 13.

AFSCME Council 13 is a public sector labor union that represents more than 67,000 Pennsylvania employees. The $1,500 scholarship is eligible for AFSCME Council 13 members, their children and grandchildren who are enrolled full-time in college. Helsel’s father, Shelly, is an equipment operator for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

Forty-eight college students were awarded $500 scholarships, but Helsel was selected in the top four, receiving an additional $1,000 for his essay addressing the benefits of union membership beyond contractually negotiated provisions and how organized labor can expand its benefits.