A Pennsylvania College of Technology student enrolled in the college’s Ford ASSET major and working at a Tioga County dealership has received a $5,000 scholarship from the Pennsylvania Automotive Association.

Derek Dreps, of Liberty, was presented with a check in the Parkes Automotive Technology Center in late May. The PAA Automotive Technology Scholarship, awarded through a fund within the PAA Foundation to a student in a qualifying academic program, is renewable for an additional year.

“Derek is a deserving student and a fine example of the type of student needed for the future of the automotive repair industry,” said John Cuprisin, associate professor of automotive technology: Ford ASSET.

On hand for the presentation to Dreps, who is in the midst of an eight-week paid internship with Blaise Alexander Ford of Mansfield, were parents Michael and Kendra; Chad Koch, general sales manager at the dealership; Ralph Diodata, chief financial officer for Blaise Alexander Family Dealerships; Deni Cecco, PAA regional manager; and brothers Adam and Aubrey Alexander.

“We are proud of Derek for receiving the award, but we are even more proud to have a young individual in our shop with such a strong work ethic and level head,” said Aubrey Alexander, of Blaise Alexander Family Dealerships, who serves on the board of the Penn College Foundation and is a 2009 graduate in business administration: Management information systems concentration.