August 15, 2022
Two NFFE family members, Kaden Braaflat and Makayla Wiltse, have been awarded scholarships from the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA) as they head to college this Fall. The scholarship program is available to NFFE members as part of their union membership.
Kaden Braaflat (pictured) will be attending the University of North Dakota to study Finance. He plans to open a financial advisory business to help families realize their dreams and prepare for retirement. In high school, Kaden played basketball and football, and also competed on the trap shooting team. Kaden’s father, Jeff Braaflat is a Pharmacist at the Fargo VA Medical Center and a union steward with NFFE-IAM Local 225.
“Kaden has always given 100 percent no matter what he is doing,” said Mr. Braaflat. “He suffered injuries throughout his high school career and always worked hard and came back stronger. I am proud of him winning this scholarship. He worked very hard in school and volunteering outside of school. It is great that NFFE provides opportunities like this scholarship. It helps ease some of the burden of paying for college.”
Our second winner, Makayla Wiltse, will be attending Central Michigan University. Makayla will be studying Exercise Science / Kinesiology. She also hopes to attend graduate school for a pediatric physical therapy program to help children with treatment and physical rehabilitation. She looks forward to experiencing different types of clinical rotations that will provide her with the skills and expertise necessary in caring for children who require physical therapy.
Since 1986, FEEA has offered scholarships to more than 10,000 individuals, including special scholarships to the children of federal civilian employees who died or were severely injured in the line of duty. Collectively, FEEA has provided over $14 million in scholarships to date, and champions the pursuit of higher education. Each year FEEA supports over 200 students with merit-based scholarships ranging between $1,000 and $5,000.
“We are excited for our NFFE-FEEA scholarship winners and looking forward to hearing about their achievements in college and beyond,” said Dave Stamey, NFFE Secretary-Treasurer and FEEA Board Member. “The NFFE-FEEA partnership is known more for helping NFFE families get through hard times through our financial support programs. We are less known for our proactive scholarship work, which makes celebrating the academic achievements of Kaden and Makayla that much better. We wish you the very best in your future endeavors!”