honor and remembrance, fitting for a memorial scholarship) Hard hat over a gear with a crossed hammer and wrench, with a lightning bolt (electrical), welding sparks, and a level (a builder's tool and a Masonic working tool)

Skilled Trades Scholarship

About This Scholarship

Geneva Masonic Lodge #139 created the Skilled Trades Scholarship to support graduating high school seniors who will continue their education at a technical or vocational school. Electricians, welders, machinists, carpenters, HVAC technicians, and other skilled tradespeople keep our community running, and we want to help the next generation get started.

This scholarship is close to our roots. Freemasonry traces its beginnings to the stonemasons' guilds of the Middle Ages, the skilled builders of their day. The square, the level, and the plumb that Freemasons use as symbols were first the working tools of a trade. Here in Geneva, our lodge has met since 1854, when its first members gathered in the upper hall of a newly built limestone building on State Street.

The Skilled Trades Scholarship is offered alongside our William Burton Wood & David M. Wheeler Memorial Scholarship, which supports students pursuing a college degree.

Who Can Apply

To be considered, you must meet all of the following:

  1. Live in Geneva, Illinois, or be an immediate family member of a member in good standing of Geneva Lodge No. 139. Immediate family means a son, daughter, grandson, or granddaughter, including adopted children, stepchildren, and children of a spouse from a prior marriage.

  2. Be a high school senior in good standing.

  3. Plan to attend an eligible technical or vocational program in the 2027–2028 school year.

  4. Be a U.S. citizen.

  5. Take part in extracurricular activities, at school or elsewhere.

  6. Take part in community service.

  7. Have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher on a 4.0 scale ([PLACEHOLDER] on a 5.0 scale), weighted or unweighted. [D4]

  8. Submit a complete, typed application by the deadline. Handwritten applications will not be reviewed.

Eligible Schools and Programs

This scholarship may be used only at a technical or vocational school. Eligible programs prepare you for a skilled trade and lead to a certificate, license, or associate degree. Examples include:

  • Electrical

  • Plumbing and pipefitting

  • HVAC/R (heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration)

  • Welding and fabrication

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  • Carpentry and construction

  • Masonry

  • Automotive, diesel, and collision repair

  • Machining and manufacturing technology