Belmont College Student Receives the Elizabeth Gates Technology Scholarship

Pictured (left to right): Dr. Paul F. Gasparro, President, Belmont College; Mr. Chip Calissie, President , Omni Strategic Technologies; Mr. Scott Larue, Belmont College Student and Elizabeth Gates Technology Scholarship Recipient; Mrs. Elizabeth Gates, Chairwoman, Belmont College Board of Trustees and Omni Strategic Technologies’ Consultant; and Mr. Henry “Hank” Cardello, Associate Professor IT/CISCO Networking, Belmont College.

St. Clairsville, OH (January 27, 2025) – Belmont College is pleased to announce that Scott Larue, from Adena, Ohio, has been awarded the Elizabeth Gates Technology Scholarship, provided by Omni Strategic Technologies.

Larue is a second-year student majoring in Cyber Security and Computer Forensics and is on track to graduate in May 2025. He is also a United States Air Force veteran.

His scholarship award is $500.00

The Elizabeth Gates Technology Scholarship will award $500 – $1,000 to an outstanding student(s) pursuing a degree in a technology or cybersecurity-related field at Belmont College. Successful candidates may also receive paid internships at Omni Strategic Technologies during their studies and the possibility of full-time employment will also exist.

The scholarship was named in honor of Mrs. Elizabeth Gates, a trailblazer as one of the first females to work in technology at Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel in 1969. Gates formed her own technology firm, HGO Technology in 1986. Mrs. Gates has also been passionate about the success of Belmont College, supporting the College in any way possible. She has served on the College Board of Trustees since 1995 and as Board of Trustees Chairwoman since 2000.

“The creation of this scholarship allows our team at Omni Strategic Technologies to do three things: One, honor the legacy of Liz Gates and what she has meant to Technology in the Ohio Valley for so many years. Two, continue to partner with Belmont College and support their goals of educating and empowering students, and three, support students by reducing their financial burden and help them become the technology workforce of tomorrow,” Mr. Chip Calissie, President, Omni Strategic Technologies.

To be eligible, students must apply at belmontcollege.edu. A reference from a teacher, advisor or guidance counselor is also required, as well as a 350-word essay that discusses their technical abilities in the Information Technology and/or Cybersecurity fields, strengths, and goals.

“Scholarships help to make college affordable for our students, so that emphasis can be placed on academics instead of how to pay for tuition,” said Dr. Carrie White, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Belmont College. “We are thankful to Omni Strategic Technologies and Mrs. Elizabeth Gates, for their ongoing commitment to Belmont College and our student’s success”

This is the first time this scholarship has been awarded at Belmont College.

About Belmont College

Founded in 1971, Belmont College is one of 23 community colleges in the University System of Ohio. The College offers more than 40 associate degree and certificate programs to serve the multiple needs of area citizens. Belmont offers a comprehensive array of credit and non-credit programming at the Main Campus in St. Clairsville, Ohio. For more information, visit belmontcollege.edu.

About Omni Strategic Technologies

Omni Strategic Technologies, founded in 1986 as HGO Technology and rebranded in 2014, is a comprehensive IT services provider specializing in managed IT services, IT advisory, vCIO, consulting, cybersecurity, infrastructure, and cloud services. Omni helps businesses leverage technology to enhance performance, security, and to drive business efficiencies. For more information, visit omniperforms.com.

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