Some of the region’s brightest future mariners receive scholarships to help them launch.

Maritime Institute’s Compass Courses Maritime Training center in Edmonds hosted the 2025 Norm Manly Maritime Education Scholarship Awards on Saturday, May 10, 2025.

A total of $26,000 was awarded to six very talented and motivated high school students from Washington state. The scholarships ranged from $3,000 to $6,000 each, and were administered by the Youth Maritime Training Association (YMTA)/Puget Sound Maritime. Two of the six awardees are in the inaugural class of Seattle’s Maritime High School. Career plans among the recipients include marine deck officers, marine engineers, and marine biologists.

The 2025 scholarship recipients (the sixth recipient participated online).

Scholarship sponsors this year included the Goodfellow Fund, the Seattle Chapter of the Council of American Master Mariners, Foss Maritime, Fremont Boat Company, Western Towboat, and the Seattle Propeller Club.

The judges this year were Captain Jim Herron (Council of American Master Mariners), Roni Kittelson (WA State Ferries deck officer), Captain Pat Ninburg (Puget Sound Pilots), Tosca Pinder (Past President, Seattle Propeller Club, USI Insurance VP), and Russel Shrewsbury (Western Towboat VP).

YMTA was started in the late 1990s and is managed by Puget Sound Maritime, Nathaniel Howe, Executive Director; John Waterhouse, President, Roger Ottenbach is Chair, Ken Passe, Vice Chair.

The Compass Courses Edmonds / Maritime Institute, has training locations in Everett, WA, Norfolk, VA, San Diego, CA, and Honolulu, HI. Over 100 U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy approved courses are offered. Sarah Scherer, General Manager for both the Edmonds and Everett locations, was previously the Director of the Seattle Maritime Academy.

For more information about the organizations described, fund raising for the YMTA scholarship, including the annual golf tournament, or how to apply for a YMTA maritime education scholarship: https://pugetmaritime.org/