2022 Tribute to Youth

On Tuesday, April 12, the Home Builders Association of Lincoln (HBAL), honored the young people who have excelled in programs we sponsor. HBAL takes very seriously its dedication to youth and to housing and we feel we have some outstanding programs which foster an interest in and love for homebuilding.

Our High School Interior Design and CAD Residential Design Contest recently completed its 50th year. These student entries were judged and displayed at the Nebraska Builders Home and Garden Show. Delrae Hirschman, chair of the project, introduced the winners and recognized the staff in attendance from Lincoln Public Schools.

Stan Haas, Assistant Curriculum Specialist: Career and Technical Education
Kristin Vest, Assistant Curriculum Specialist: Family & Consumer Sciences
Jessica Meyers, Lincoln North Star High School
Jon Heithold, Lincoln East High School

Residential Design Contest Winners:

Carson Poulsky, Lincoln East, placed third and received $100.
Zoe Hoffmeyer, Lincoln East placed second and received $150.
Korben Ockander, Lincoln East, placed first and received $200.

Judges for this contest were Andy Widman, ACRE Design +, Dan Loeck, Loeck Designs, and Greg Smith, Davis Design.

Hailey Hesselgesser, Lincoln Southeast, placed third and received $100.
Naomi Chamberlain, Lincoln North Star, placed second and receives $150.
Rowan Satterfield, Lincoln Southeast, placed first and received $200.

Judges for this contest were Delrae Hirschmann, Delrae Designs, Pam Magner, Reynolds Design and Remodeling, and Kelli Fleek, Action Plumbing.

The Lincoln Home Builders Care Foundation awards scholarships each year to high school seniors who are entering college to pursue a degree related to construction. We also award $4,500 in scholarships to students already enrolled at SCC-Milford in construction programs. Mark Aksamit recognized those SCC Milford students in attendance prior to presenting this year’s scholarships from the Lincoln Home Builders Care Foundation.

The following recipients each receive a $1,000 HBAL/ Remodelers Council Scholarship.

Austin Madsen – Austin attends Norris High School and plans to attend Wayne State College. Austin is active in football, track and field, church youth group and teaches swimming lessons along with being a lifeguard. He finds the construction field to be rewarding, challenging and is an opportunity to acquire skills that will be useful everyday.

Ellie Syslo – Ellie attends Lincoln East High School and plans to attend UNL majoring in Construction Management. She plans to work as a project manager for a construction company after college. Ellie is active in marching band, concert band, has served on volunteer trips with her church and works part time at Trinity Child Care. She has enjoyed helping her father with projects around the house as she has grown, and plans to build a beach hut with her father this summer, which will be their biggest project so far. She credits her father for sharing his passion for the craft with her.

Ryan Noonan – Ryan attends East High School and plans to attend SCC-Lincoln and then UNL, majoring in construction. Ryan is active in baseball, basketball, football, Boy Scouts, Swim/dive and has lawn service jobs. Ryan would like to become a project manager and one day own his own company.

Zoe Hoffmeyer – Zoe, also a winner of the residential design contest, attends Lincoln East High School. She will be attending SCC, majoring in Design and Drafting. She is in National Honors Society, French Club, Archery Club, is an assistant children’s music teacher and owns her own pet care business. She is very interested in the architectural design of green homes and making them more affordable to more people.

Brennan Tarzian, who will be attending Southeast Community College-Milford, was also a winner of a $1,000 scholarship, but he was unable to join us at the event.

The last scholarship presented by Mark Aksamit was the Lincoln Home Builders Care Foundation President’s Scholarship. The $1,500 President’s scholarship is awarded to a student who has a parent or other relative who is a member or employed by a member of HBAL. This year’s winner is Garrett Magner, son of Kip & Pam Magner with Reynolds Design and Remodeling. Garret attends Lincoln Southeast High School and will be attending UNL. He will be majoring in architecture and would also like to major in construction management. He has volunteered on mission trips, for the Food Bank House at the Home and Garden Show and works part time for Reynolds Design and Remodeling. Knowing there is a need for more employees in construction, along with watching his mother Pam create beautiful spaces for years, has influenced his decision to pursue a degree in architecture.

We encourage everyone to share information about the Lincoln Home Builders Care Foundation Scholarships with future candidates who you may know or meet throughout the year.

Bennie Shobe, the evening’s guest speaker, gave all in attendance some great advice on life which included: