The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) recently celebrated the 75th anniversary of the state's civil engineering scholarship program. More than 2,000 students have received a total of $19.4 million from the program since it began in 1948, the agency said.

"This scholarship program builds on two Team Kentucky priorities that will make our commonwealth better: education and transportation," said Gov. Andy Beshear in a statement.

"It's been incredible to see the talented leaders who have come through this program and continue to make a difference in Kentucky, from road and bridge projects to disaster response and more."

Over the years, KYTC said the scholarship program — which it administers — has been expanded to include the civil engineering technology scholarship, with Gov. Beshear adding a construction management scholarship earlier in 2023.

Those two additional scholarships have collectively funded the education needs of 84 students with a total award of $661,000, the agency said, with all scholarship recipients receiving tuition stipends, hands-on experience during higher education and guaranteed full-time employment after graduation.

During the event, Charles Briggs — who currently serves as an engineer of the KYTC maintenance division — was honored as the longest active KYTC scholarship recipient, as he first received a scholarship in 1961 while studying at the University of Kentucky.

"I probably would not have been able to afford to go to college to get my degree without it," Briggs said. "It was the start of everything."

"Programs like this are uncommon across the nation and I'm proud Kentucky has prioritized funding the education of promising students who just need a hand up to help them enter the field," said KYTC Secretary Jim Gray. "Whether recipients become career employees or eventually work in the private sector, the foundational experience they gain at KYTC pays dividends in equipping a workforce of public servants who keep Kentuckians safe."