2023 Scholarship Recipients

IAPD scholarships are funded by donations from IAPD member companies and individuals in the performance plastics industry, as well as IAPD and its for-profit subsidiary, Association Services International.

The International Association of Plastics Distribution (IAPD) is pleased to award a 2023 scholarship in amounts of up to US$5,000 to the following students:

Sky Caudill


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    Sky Caudill is entering his freshman year at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., USA, where he will study finance. Caudill is a highly accomplished student and has received honors including the National Rural and Small-Town Recognition Award for outstanding performance in academics and on the PSAT in a rural area and VEX Robotics Judge’s Award for the best team presentation in the state. He is a member of the National Honors Society and a Gromet Scholar recognized for exemplary involvement in academics and extracurricular activities. Additionally, Caudill volunteers as a solo pianist in chapel services and school-wide masses at St. Joseph’s High School in Hilo, HI, USA.

Geetika Chitturi


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    Geetika Chitturi is entering her freshman year at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN, USA, where she plans to study engineering. She is a highly awarded student and earned a perfect score of 1600 on the SAT. Among her many achievements are the AP Scholar with Distinction award, Gifted and Talented Silicon Valley Innovators platinum award and BWSI-SWE Build-a-CubeSat Challenge 1st place award¬, an honor given to one team nationally for building a small satellite capable of detecting colored plastic in the ocean using provided materials. Chitturi is also the founder and president of Carmel High School’s SWENext club, an international organization dedicated to advancing the status of women engineers. Additionally, Chitturi is a member of Bollywood Dance Club and has a second-degree black belt in taekwondo.  

Arisa Chue


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    Arisa is a rising junior at Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA, pursuing a degree in computer science with the goal of becoming a software engineer. While at Stanford, she has completed software engineering internships at Google and Meta Platforms, is a section leader and teaching assistant for the introductory data structures and algorithms class, was president of her school’s Women Interested in Science and Engineering and an outreach program lead for Stanford’s Society of Women Engineers. Among her many accomplishments Chue has been awarded the Harvard Book Prize for outstanding academic performance in high school and founded a program at the Japanese Americans’ Care Fund, Annandale, VA, USA, to educate elderly Japanese residents in the state on how to use smartphones. 

Kiera Devine


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    Kiera Devine is entering her freshman year at Fairfield University in Fairfield, CT, USA, to study nursing. Among the many honors Devine has received are the AP Scholar Award with Distinction, AP Capstone Diploma, Clarkson University Leadership Book Award and National Youth Leadership Forum: Medicine 2022 Nominee. Devine is also a skilled swimmer and was a member of All Berkshire County High School Swim Team, All Western Mass High School Swim Team, Captain of Pittsfield High School Varsity Swim Team and has taught swimming lessons to children with disabilities.  

Caitlin Dougherty


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    Dougherty is entering her freshman year at the Honors College at University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC, USA, to study biology with the goal of becoming a pediatric dentist. Dougherty is a highly accomplished student who has been recognized for seven years on the Distinguished Honor Roll. She is also an AP Scholar with Honor, a member of National Honors Society and a National Merit Scholarship Corporation Commended Student. Additionally, Dougherty was chapter president of Plymouth Whitemarsh High School’s Technology Student Association and founder and president of both her school’s Oceanography Club and American Red Cross Club. She is also a decorated Irish Dancer with over 100 top-three titles at local competitions in the Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA, area.

Bryson Flake


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    Flake is entering his freshman year at Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA, where he plans to study mechanical engineering with an emphasis in aerospace. Flake is ranked first in his class at Apple Valley High School, Apple Valley, MN, USA, and scored a perfect 36 on the ACT. Additionally, he is a Harvard Prize Book recipient, National Merit Semifinalist, AP Scholar and National Honor Society member. Flake earned the rank of Eagle Scout with Boy Scouts of America and is a handler on his ultimate frisbee team. He is also a skilled percussionist and has received three Best of Site awards for solo marimba performances and was selected for the Minnesota Music Educators Association 2022 All-State Band.

Tyler Kleinsasser


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    Kleinsasser is a graduate student at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, SD, USA, where he is pursuing a master of science in engineering management. Kleinsasser has maintained a 4.0 GPA earning him a place on the Mines Engineering Dean’s List. He is also a member of Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, Mines Leadership Hall of Fame, Order of the Engineer and Engineers and Scientist Abroad (ESA). Through ESA he has partnered with an organization in Chile to provide sustainable power to a remote area of the mountains. In his free time, Kleinsasser participates in intermural sports and is a camp counselor at Camp Byron. 

Angela Luca


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    Luca is a rising freshman at University of Florida in Gainesville, FL, USA, where she plans to study biomedical engineering. She is graduating Summa Cum Laude from Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High, North Miami, FL, USA, where she was a highly awarded student. Among her many honors, Luca is a National Merit Commended Student, an AP Scholar with Distinction and a National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar. Luca is also a 2023 Hispanic Heritage Youth Foundation bronze recipient for technology and the first-place winner at 2022 Art Code Yourself national self-portrait coding competition in the high school southeastern division. Additionally, she is a highly decorated tennis player ranked number two in Florida and number five in the USA for Girl’s 1 Singles and the recipient of the Game ChangeHER Award for Outstanding Athletes from the office of Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. 

Kevin MacDonald


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    MacDonald is a rising freshman at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, MA, USA, where he plans to study chemical engineering. He has maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA throughout high school and has been recognized as an AP Scholar with Honor and a High Honor Roll student. Additionally, MacDonald has achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, is a member of National Honor Society and captain of the Middleboro High School in Middleboro, MA, USA, math team. MacDonald is also team captain of his varsity soccer and varsity track and field teams. He has also been awarded the title of South Shore League Soccer All-Star for his skills on the field.

Katrina Machetta


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    Machetta is a rising sophomore at Columbia University in New York, NY, USA, where she will study journalism. Machetta is already a highly accomplished journalist with over 55 published articles and several awards for writing and poetry. Among her many honors are Yale University’s Bassett Award for academic distinction and public service, Scholastic Art and Writing Gold Key Awards, the National Press Club Zimmerman Award, the National Scholastic Press Association Gloria Shields Award and Youth Poet Laureate Finalist.  She served as a Fellow at Annenberg’s Media, Inequality and Change Center and as an investigative news intern at NBC News10. She also served as editor-in-chief at Legacy Press and Poet-in-Residence at The Heritage Society. Machetta has also been recognized with the Congressional Gold Service Award and Gold Presidential Service Award; her volunteer efforts include food banks, Crafting Connection for the Elderly and Disabled, Get-Out-To-Vote Initiative and serving as Teen Court Advocate for the City of Houston Juvenile Court System.

Holly Niefergold


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    Niefergold is a rising freshman at SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill in Cobleskill, NY, USA, where she plans to study agriculture business management. Niefergold plans to have her own agritourism attraction and wedding venue after she graduates college. She is a hardworking student who has achieved membership in National Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society and High Honor Roll while working multiple part-time jobs in the agriculture industry, including Milk for Health on the Niagara Frontier, Erie County Agricultural Society, Bipperts Farm Market, Northeast AgriSolutions Force and working on her family's dairy farm. Niefergold is a senior at North Collins Jr./Sr. High School in North Collins, NY, USA, and she is the vice president of the Springville FFA chapter and an award-winning member of FFA and 4-H. She is a former Erie County Dairy Princess and New York State First Alternate Dairy Princess. In addition to her involvement in agricultural programs, Niefergold is a member of drama club and the president of Students Against Destructive Decisions.

Andrew Roth


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    Roth is a rising freshman at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, KY, USA where he plans to study economics with a concentration in actuarial science. He is a member of the National Honor Society, an Illinois State Scholar and achieved High Honor Roll ranking for seven semesters. Roth has also won an engineering competition for door handle design. Additionally, he is a multi-sport athlete playing on the Marquette Catholic High School, Alton, IL, USA, soccer, baseball and bowling teams. He is also a member of Breast Cancer Awareness Club and a volunteer with St. Baldricks Foundation, for which he raised USD$1,163 for pediatric cancer research and even shaved his head as part of the fundraiser.

Ryota Sato


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    Sato is a rising freshman at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA, USA, where he plans to study electrical engineering. He is a highly awarded student for both his academic and jazz guitar skills. Among his many achievements are a perfect score on the AP Computer Science Principals test, AP Scholar of Distinction and several Outstanding Performance awards from Downbeat Student Music Awards at the international level. Sato is also president of Japanese Club, Music Club and vice president of Math Club at Adrian Wilcox High School, Santa Clara, CA, USA, and the jazz guitarist for California All-State High School Jazz Band. In his free time Sato enjoys practicing origami and Kirie, a Japanese art form of cut and folded paper. 

Anthony Taylor


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    Taylor is a rising freshman at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA, where he plans to study electrical engineering. He is a very accomplished student, ranking top in his class at James B. Dudley High School, Greensboro, NC, USA, a member of the National Technical Honor Society, president of the National Honor Society and has received CollegeBoard National Student Recognition. Taylor also participates in Youth Leadership Greensboro, a program for teens to advance their leadership skills.  Additionally, he is captain of the varsity basketball team and spends time volunteering at local schools and as an usher at his church. 

Ben Taylor


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    Taylor is a rising freshman at Webb Institute, Glen Cove, NY, USA where he plans to study naval architecture and marine engineering. He is an AP Scholar with Honors, has received the National Seal of Biliteracy for the Spanish Language and the National Merit Commended Student Award. Taylor is involved in many student organizations at Melrose High School, Melrose, MA, USA, including Spanish Club, Architecture Club, DECA and STEM Pathway. He also is a member of his junior varsity soccer team and a sailing instructor-in-training.

     

Cale Walden


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    Walden is a rising senior at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX, USA, where he is pursuing his major in accounting. Walden has achieved Dean’s List and President’s List recognition in all semesters of college and has maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA. He is vice president of operations for Beta Alpha Psi, an accounting, finance and MIS professional organization and a peer tutor at his school’s academic success center. Additionally, Walden is the treasurer of the Banking and Finance Club, a member of Beta Gamma Sigma and a Becker CPA ambassador. In his free time, he enjoys playing intermural sports and is an avid hockey fan. 

     

Devon Woodfine


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    Woodfine is a rising junior at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in Pomona, CA, USA, where he is pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering. He is a highly accomplished student and is already being recognized for his work in the biomedical engineering field. Woodfine is the president of the National Society of Black Engineers, a Risk Engineering Intern at Autodesk’s Cybersecurity team and rising President of the Google Developers Student Club. Additionally, he finds time to volunteer with the Los Angeles Council of Black Professional Engineers and Maximizing Engineering Potential.