By Peter Kray
PSIA-AASI’s scholarship program, available both at the national and regional levels, provides an invaluable asset for professional instructors to achieve their professional goals, attend events, earn advanced certification, and hone their snowboard and ski teaching skills.
In 2024, the national PSIA-AASI office awarded 149 scholarships totaling $64,000, offsetting expenses for instructors seeking a certification or specialist credential, veterans beginning careers in the outdoor industry, women pursuing more prominent leadership roles, and even providing small snowsports schools with more educational training opportunities.
“PSIA-AASI scholarships are a powerful investment in our members, making dreams come true and providing a pathway to achieve excellence in snowsports instruction,” said Laura Armstrong, Project Manager for National Scholarships and Awards. “Scholarships are made possible by generous donors who believe in the impact of certified instructors for elevating the snowsports experience.”
Most importantly, scholarships make it easier for instructors to attend on-snow events in person, where they can participate in potentially career-changing moments while networking with fellow snow pros.
A Valuable Experience
Albert Ouellette, who took advantage of the Veteran Workforce and Education Track Scholarship, said that he has looked at applying for scholarships for events he has already enrolled in, and also as a way to plan for goals he would like to achieve in the future.
“By receiving the scholarships, I was able to attend multiple events,” Ouellette said. “I find whether attending an informational event or an assessment, I’m learning something new. I get to ski with great people and see new things.”
Tia Loftin, an instructor at Liberty Mountain Resort in Fairfield, Pennsylvania, said her Women of Winter Scholarship, a Level I course and exam scholarship awarded by Women of Winter and PSIA-AASI in collaboration with the National Brotherhood of Snowsports (NBS) not only improved her skiing, “It reignited my purpose.”
“This past December, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the 2024 Alpine Eastern Academy in Killington, Vermont,” she said. “I applied for the scholarship because I’m passionate about growing as a snowsports professional and committed to creating more inclusive spaces in the snowsports world.”
Throughout the week, she trained with some of the best clinicians in the country, sharpened her technical skills, deepened her understanding of movement analysis, and walked away with actionable feedback that she has already started using in her lessons.
“Because of this wonderful experience, I gained the confidence and techniques to improve my coaching at Liberty Mountain Resort and to successfully obtain my Children’s Specialist credential through the fantastic organization Women of Winter,” she said.
The Lasting Benefit
Utah-based instructor Eileen May-West (pictured with her family above), a recipient of the Nancy Oakes Hall Women’s Scholarship, said scholarly support was the only thing that made her attendance at the 2024 Women’s Summit at Solitude, Utah, possible.
“I was eager to have the chance to spend a few days in an amazing environment that I knew would be jam-packed with valuable growth for me as a snowsports professional,” May-West said. “The registration fees were prohibitive for me, so I would not have been able to attend without the ability to access a scholarship.”
That opportunity continues to have a positive impact on her career. “I really can’t overstate how much skiing for three days with (PSIA-AASI National Team alumnus) Mermer Blakeslee and our amazingly powerful and talented group of women helped me grow my technical skills, confidence, and motivation to continue pursuing excellence in my career.”
“As a new mom juggling two small kids and a career in program management, the burnout is real,” May-West said. “Being able to see so many women all in one place who have done it before me, all thriving now, allowed me to believe it’s possible to continue on this path and that there are mentors in this space who are ready and willing to lift us up.”
Ouida Brown, a Women of Winter Scholarship recipient, said her scholarship experience also inspired her to share the joy of snowsport with others. A member of the National Brotherhood of Snowsports since 1998, she used the scholarship to obtain her Level I alpine certification at Big Sky in 2024.
“The program was wonderful,” she said. “It was great to bond with like-minded women from my club and from all over the country. It was great hearing their stories about how they started their journey into snowsports and their desire to give back to others. It was great because although we were all women of color, we had very diverse backgrounds.”
“It gave me the goal of teaching and gave me the confidence to do so,” she said. “I never thought about it before. I loved skiing, and I loved learning more about it. But the opportunity to get a certification helps me share my love of the sport with others. I would like to get more women of color and other African Americans in the sport that I love.”
A Lesson That Keeps Giving
Ask Luke Irmiter, a freestyle snowboard instructor in Okemo, Vermont, why he keeps learning, and he’ll tell you it’s so he can keep improving his teaching.
“My favorite thing is all the unexpected life lessons that I’ve taught other people, through conquering fears, having moments of doubt, overconfidence, and things of that nature,” he said. “People really grow as humans while simply having fun.”
“It’s the pure joy of seeing someone smile when they realize they can do it,” adds Loftin. “Whether it’s their first turn or first black diamond, those moments are everything.”
It’s why Rocky Mountain Region-based instructor Arianna Asquini thinks every snowsports instructor should consider applying for a scholarship this season. “Just do it!” she said. “It can open so many doors. Even if you’re not sure whether you want to take an assessment. PSIA-AASI scholarships can lead to significant personal relationships, as well as professional growth. I recommend applying for one of the more general scholarships, then deciding how to use it.”
It’s Easy to Apply
What most members don’t know is just how easy it is to fill out an application for one of the many available scholarships.
Asquini was introduced to PSIA-AASI scholarships during her first season as a snow pro and has been applying every season that she was or is planning to take an assessment clinic. She ended up getting two scholarships this year – one for adaptive assessments and one for clinics.
She said, “I used my Adaptive Education Track Scholarship to take the Level III assessment in Park City, and the clinic one for Precision Skiing 201 in Vail. Each scholarship encouraged me to train for and successfully take the Adaptive Level III and Alpine Level II assessments.”
Irmiter used his scholarship to pay for freestyle certifications and to attempt his Level III snowboard certification. “I decided to apply because it was simple – write up a short summary of where my snowboard coaching skills were at and detail the exams I wanted to take that season.”
Having the scholarship helped relieve the anxiety of working for his Level III, Irmiter said, “Because it made the process less stressful to know I could keep my income from instructing while trying to further prove my skills.”
The annual PSIA-AASI national scholarship application cycle opens in late summer with a deadline of October 31. Note that your home region likely also offers scholarships. Here is where your future starts!