BrandSource Names 2024 AVB Scholarship Winners

Four high achievers share $20,000 toward tuition

By Andy Kriege, YSN

A high point of today’s 2024 Summit proceedings was the announcement of this year’s AVB BrandSource Scholarship Award winners.

As part of a longstanding effort to support higher education, the group bestows $20,000 in academic achievement awards annually. The goal of these scholarships is to provide financial assistance to the children of BrandSource members, AVB affiliates and their staff to help offset higher education expenses.

Four winners were chosen from dozens of submissions, with each receiving $5,000 toward enrollment this fall. This was the fourth year in which eligibility was extended beyond those attending four-year colleges to include students enrolled in tech and trade school programs.

The candidates were judged on their academic merit (including their GPAs and extracurricular activities), their community involvement, a written essay and such additional criteria as their responses to follow-up questions and the overall presentation of their submission.

The Scholarship Awards are an AVB tradition that has cumulatively provided tens of thousands of dollars over the years to help our group’s students achieve their academic goals and career dreams.

Meet this year’s four scholarship recipients:

Isabel Janka is the daughter of William Janka, owner of Mission Audio Video in Santa Barbara, Calif. Isabel, or “Izzy,” has worked for the past two years as an installer at the family business. She is currently attending California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo and plans to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 2026.

Serenity Guerrero is the advertising and promotions coordinator at Christie’s Appliance in Tucson, Ariz. She recently completed her undergraduate degree in exercise physiology at Northern Arizona University and will return to the school this fall to begin her post-graduate education in pursuit of a doctorate in physical therapy.

Kathryn Watson is the daughter of Jeff Watson, owner of Watson’s Furniture, Floor and Appliances  in Chesnee, S.C. Upon graduating high school this May, she plans on earning an undergraduate degree at Spartanburg College in pursuit of career in nursing and then continuing her education with the ultimate goal of becoming a pediatric nurse practitioner.

Colin Burzycki is the son of Jessica Burzycki, owner of Keith’s Appliances in Norwich, Conn., and the grandson of company founder Keith Burzycki. Colin is a senior in high school and plans on attending Boston College in the fall to pursue an undergraduate degree in psychology — followed by law school and, ultimately, a position as a corporate attorney at a large law firm.

A review of all the scholarship applications and the judges’ notes has given this writer great faith in the next generation of BrandSource members. It is apparent that our members really do a fantastic job instilling the same values in their kids that have made them successful in business. It turns out that hard work, discipline and resilience not only makes for great retailers, but for high-achieving students as well.

Congratulations to our 2024 scholarship winners!

YSN publisher AVB BrandSource is the nation’s largest merchandising and marketing co-op for independent appliance, mattress, furniture and CE dealers.

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