ACA International Education Foundation Announces 2008 Scholarship Winners

Three students from Illinois, Tennessee and North Carolina have been named recipients of the ACA International Education Foundation Scholarships.

“It’s important to nurture and support the great minds of tomorrow, and these three young men each proved more than worthy of these awards,” said Bill Wilcox, chairman of the ACA International Education Foundation. “The foundation is pleased to be able to help these fine young men further their studies, and we have high hopes for their futures as leaders in their respective fields.”

The ACA International Education Foundation Scholarship was created in 1985 and honors the memory of ACA member Robert E. Loomer and ACA staff member Irvin "Dempsey" Mortenson.

Loomer, an ACA instructor from 1975-1984, was one of ACA’s most often requested instructors and was honored as ACA’s Certified Instructor of the Year in 1979. Mortenson was ACA’s director of public affairs from 1973-1981, and was instrumental in negotiations with congressional committees that produced the version of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act signed into law in 1977.

The ACA International Education Foundation Scholarships are dedicated to advancing the higher education of people connected to the credit and collection industry. Employees and dependents of any collection company, or those employed in a collection or credit management function, are eligible to compete for the scholarship.

One first place award of $3,000 and two second place awards of $1,000 were given to the 2008 recipients. Winners were selected based on grade point average and an essay on the importance of financial literacy education.

The 2008 first place winner is Alex S. Ziech, son of ACA member Dean E. Ziech, President of CAB Services, Inc., located in Joliet, Ill. Ziech noted in his essay that with financial education, consumers can learn how to avoid financially destructive decisions and will be empowered to be better shoppers for goods and services, along with learning how to protect their rights. He will be attending Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., and plans to study Biology.

Travis Kmita, son of ACA member Colleen Kmita with Professional Account Services Inc. in Brentwood, Tenn., points out that financial literacy is a skill that every person should possess, especially in today’s fast-paced, technology-driven society. Kmita will be studying Accounting at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville this fall.

Matthew Scott Hoehn, son of ACA member Scott Hoehn, Vice President of UCM Servicing Co. in Charlotte, N.C., wrote that with America having a free-market economic policy, financial literacy is essential in order to invest wisely and to remain economically stable. Hoehn will be studying Business at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

For more information or to apply for a Loomer-Mortenson Scholarship, please contact the ACA International Education Foundation at +1(952) 928–8000, ext. 104, or foundation@acainternational.org.