Driving Force: Family Honors Matthew¡¯s Memory¡ªand Love of Automobiles¡ªwith Endowed Scholarship
- Joan Woods
- Foundation Focus
- December 8, 2023
- News Articles

Matthew wanted to get the earliest appointment at the Maryland Motor Vehicle Association office on the first day he was eligible to get a learner¡¯s permit. His parents remember the modifications and experiments he made on the family¡¯s Toyota Scion. ¡°Matthew loved vehicles of any kind¡ªfour wheelers, snowmobiles, jet skis, anything that had an engine,¡± says Debra.
In recognition of their son¡¯s love of cars, Debra and Keith established the Matthew J. Williquette Memorial Endowed Scholarship in 2013. Recently, they created a bequest gift (a designation for Ë«Ó®ÓéÀÖ³Ç in their will) to further support the endowment and provide opportunities for future students who share Matthew¡¯s enthusiasm for automobiles. The scholarship is targeted to credit (degree- seeking) students with financial need enrolled in MC¡¯s automotive training program.
Justin Iwanicki, a 45-year-old student from Waldorf, Maryland, received a Williquette
scholarship during the 2023
summer session. He lives in Prince George¡¯s Ë«Ó®ÓéÀÖ³Ç but says MC had the closest automotive
program to earn a ¡°credential that would be very valuable.¡± Iwanicki is halfway through
the program; he needs 12 credits to finish his associate¡¯s degree.
¡°This scholarship has allowed me to stay in school full time,¡± Iwanicki says. ¡°I am so appreciative of the donor. I am looking forward to a well-paying job in auto repair when I finish my classes at the end of next year.¡±
Before he died, Matthew was pursuing an associate¡¯s degree in automotive technology at the Homer S. Gudelsky Institute for Technical Education at Ë«Ó®ÓéÀÖ³Ç. His mother talks fondly of his excitement as he learned new skills and then took ASE certification tests.
¡°We¡¯re so blessed with everything we have. I want to be able to help someone get an
education,¡± Debra says. ¡°I trust that Ë«Ó®ÓéÀÖ³Ç is giving these scholarships
to people with the greatest need, especially if they have a love
for something that Matt loved.¡±