Staffing company Centerline Drivers has created its first scholarship for women in the trucking industry.
The Drive It Forward annual award, up to $7,500, will cover the full tuition for one woman each year who is a newcomer to a CDL program.
Candidates must apply before Dec. 31 at 11:59 p.m. EST for consideration.
The award is in honor of Sheila Castaneda, who started with the company in 2000 as a service director and later became the director of business development for its mobile driving division.
Leonard Holman, a recruiting manager at Trillium Drivers, worked with Centerline as a temp, starting as a weekend dispatcher, and Castaneda hired him around 2013 as a service manager for Northern California.
“She was a really good person,” Holman said, describing her as a loving individual. “I owe it to her because she gave me the shot to be me and grow.”
He remembered her getting lunches from different sandwich shops and restaurants, such as El Pollo Loco, for the central support office in Colton, California, for between 40 and 50 people.
“She would take care of us,” he said.
After she unexpectedly died in March, a GoFundMe campaign raised money in honor of her.
The company has praised Castaneda’s strength and inspiration, noting her health challenges with antiphospholipid syndrome, which can cause abnormal blood clots and led to doctors amputating her left leg in 2017.
For Sheila Castaneda, putting drivers on the road is not just a job, but a mission of hers. As a director of business development at Centerline Drivers, she takes pride in getting to know her drivers personally. #centerlinedrivers #thepeoplecompany https://t.co/hWLJQ8EDBd pic.twitter.com/AnxNUvFsI9
— Centerline Drivers (@CenterlineLLC) December 3, 2020
“Her strength and selflessness in the face of personal adversity is incredible,” Centerline Drivers President Jill Quinn said in a 2020 article. “She has always been and remains selfless and dedicated to helping others, whether that’s at work or in her personal life.”
A Women In Trucking Association jobs index based on a survey this year found 33.8% of C-suite executives, 74.9% of human resources and talent management staff, and 13.7% of drivers are women.
About half of the leadership roles at Centerline are held by women, who make up two-thirds of the company’s workforce. WIT has also repeatedly recognized the company for its inclusiveness.
Quinn also noted in a news release about the scholarship last month that Castaneda “was a steadfast proponent of encouraging women in trucking and spent a lot of her time mentoring and coaching women across Centerline.”
