West Virginians have a strong tradition of partnering to help each other, as we often see in response to a natural disaster or, more recently, in a pandemic. And when a successful West Virginia entrepreneur and philanthropist reaches out to offer a hand up to the next generation, West Virginia’s traditional values are also on full display.

That’s the case with Mary Anne Ketelsen, President and CEO of Parkersburg’s Mister Bee Potato Chips, who recently partnered with TechConnect West Virginia to present four scholarships to young women pursuing higher education degrees in the state. 

Mary Anne Ketelsen was a keynote speaker at one of our Women in Technology conferences. This annual event seeks to close the gender gap in STEM and inspire future generations of girls to consider the advantages of a career in STEM. Not only will these women land better-paying jobs in fast-growing sectors, they will also add to the number of people finding solutions to our nation’s problems, which will boost the rate of U.S. innovation. 

After that conference, Mary Anne generously donated funds to TechConnect to establish a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Scholarship to support women in the oil and natural gas industry. By choosing the oil and gas sector, Mary Anne sought to honor the memory of her mother, Mary “Mickey” Welch, a philanthropist and oil and gas industry pioneer.

TechConnect is very proud to announce that four young women—all extremely qualified--have been selected to receive the Mary Anne Ketelsen STEM Scholarship from TechConnect. They include: 

• Lilly McCracken of Bridgeport, a student at West Virginia University who serves as Dominion Energy’s “Student Ambassador” at WVU.

• Tommi Kenneda of Princeton, a student at West Virginia University Institute of Technology was also selected. A computer science major, Tommi mentors other students through WVU-Tech’s STEM Center.

• Christiana DiPisa of Oak Hill, who also attends West Virginia University Institute of Technology, is another winner of the Mary Anne Ketelsen STEM Scholarship. She’s majoring in both computer science and English, but still makes time to help other students through the TRIO peer-tutoring program.

• Nicole Wallace, of Triadelphia, a student at West Virginia Northern Community and Technical College, is pursuing a degree in welding, a non-traditional field for women that ties in well with the oil and gas industry.

Thanks to Mary Anne Ketelsen’s generosity and passion for helping the next generation, these four young West Virginians will receive a much-needed boost to further their studies. They won’t forget that someone reached out to give them a hand up when they become successful. And it’s wonderful to see that they are already giving back through their on-campus activities. 

They will also have a chance to be inspired by learning about Mary Anne Ketelsen’s own career. She has been recognized both as a Distinguished West Virginian by the Governor of West Virginia and a “Wonder Woman” by West Virginia Living magazine in 2020. Mary Anne is a graduate of both West Virginia University at Parkersburg and Glenville State University.

West Virginians like Mary Anne Ketelsen make us all proud, and I am confident the four young women who stand to benefit from her generosity will do so, as well. Thanks to all of them for reminding us all of the values we hold dear in the Mountain State.