Elevated Iowa, an Iowa Association of Business and Industry Foundation program, has awarded eight $500 scholarships to recent Iowa high school graduates who are pursuing manufacturing-related education at one of the state’s 15 community colleges. The scholarships are part of Elevate Iowa’s mission to promote careers in advanced manufacturing — an industry that continues to evolve through innovation in technology, robotics, and automation. According to the National Association of Manufacturers, Iowa’s manufacturing sector supports 217,000 jobs and accounts for $43.8 billion added to the economy each year. Students awarded the scholarships, the high school they graduated from and community college they’ll attend include: Austin Downs (Louisa-Muscatine High School, Eastern Iowa Community College); Colton Vander Wiel (North Mahaska High School, Hawkeye Community College); Garin Schaffner (English Valleys High School, Indian Hills Community College); Gideon Goodpaster (Mediapolis High School, Southeastern Community College); Jenna Koons (Hampton-Dumont High School, North Iowa Community College); Maxwell De Jong (Unity Christian High School, Northwest Iowa Community College); Sawyer Toft (Audubon High School, Des Moines Area Community College); and Vainqueur Okonga (Iowa City High School, Kirkwood Community College).