Adam Whittenburg earns Work Ethic Scholarship

Contributed by Ammie Marcum
Clinton County Schools Community Education Director
Clinton County School District is beyond excited to announce CCHS 2023 graduate Adam Dillon Whittenburg as a 2023 Work Ethic Scholarship Recipient!
Whittenburg was one of 200 recipients from around the United States to receive this prestigious award.
He is the son of Michael and Shannon Whittenburg.
How many Clintonians have watched the TV series “Dirty Jobs”? The star of the show, Mr. Mike Rowe, has taken his passion for our trade jobs to a level that most TV stars never think about. Rowe has put his money where his mouth is, so to speak.
According to Rowe, Americans have convinced themselves that the best career is an expensive, four-year degree with those college graduates vying for the proverbial “corner office,” while ignoring the jobs that help to build that “corner office.”
According to the mikeroweWORKSFoundation, student loan debt is the second highest consumer debt category with an astronomical debt of $1.5 trillion. According to the Bureau of Labor, there are more than seven million jobs available in the U.S., with the majority of those not requiring a four-year degree.
According to Rowe, “We have to reconnect the average American with the value of a skilled workforce. Only then will the next generation aspire to do the work at hand.” With this in mind, Rowe created the mikeroweWORKSFoundation in 2008, promoting skilled labor.
With the Work Ethic Scholarship program, the mission is to close the skills gap, along with the stereotypes associated with those jobs, to help people understand the impact of skilled labor on everyday life, and for people to learn a new appreciation for demanding work.
Since 2008, this program has granted more than $5 million dollars in scholarships and other like-minded programs or initiatives that work to close the skills gap.
As a part of the application process, Mr. Whittenburg had to sign and understand the S.W.E.A.T. pledge. The pledge has four pillars – work ethic, personal responsibility, delayed gratification, and a positive attitude.
Each of the twelve pledge statements has a story and each story is from one of Mike’s firsthand experiences working with people throughout the country.
Whittenburg will be attending the Kentucky Welding Institute in Flemingsburg, Kentucky. While attending Clinton County High School, Adam participated in several Skills USA competitions under the guidance of David Booher, SoKY ECCA Welding Instructor.
In 2022, Adam participated in the Postsecondary Skills USA state competition in the area of hands-on welding.
During his senior year, he was awarded the Senior Welding Award and participated in the co-op program working at Marina@Rowena with the construction crew. He currently works at Stephens Pipe and Steel. He leaves for school at the end of September.
For more information about this prestigious scholarship, visit https://mikeroweworks.org/mikeroweWORKS