Nine Missourians have been honored as state winners of the 2015 Missouri Breaking Traditions Awards.

The awards honor students, educators and employers for their achievements related to nontraditional careers. A ceremony honoring the winners took place Wednesday in Jefferson City.

“It is wonderful to see Missourians who are passionate about pursuing the field of their choice,” said Missouri Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven. “These winners have set an example for future generations to follow.”

The 2015 award recipients are:

• State Secondary Female Award: Madeline Harl, Civil Engineering, Columbia Area Career Center;
• State Secondary Male Award: Daniel Magar, Health Services Assistant, Jefferson College Area Technical School;
• State Postsecondary/Adult Female Award: Kellsey Morris, Law Enforcement Academy, Mineral Area College;
• State Postsecondary/Adult Male Award: Nathan Thomas, Physical Therapist Assistant, Ozark Technical Community College;
• Secondary Spirit Award: Catherine Ann Ball, Construction Technology, Scott Regional Technology Center;
• Postsecondary/Adult Spirit Award: Kelly Krieger, Electronics Technology, Mineral Area College;
• Secondary Educator Award: Brian Prewitt, Construction Technology Instructor, Scott Regional Technology Center;
• Postsecondary Educator Award: Linda Franchini, Electronics Engineering Technology Instructor, State Technical College of Missouri;
• Employer Award: Rick Hughlett, Ricks Automotive, Ozark Technical Community College.

State and Spirit winners will receive scholarship offers from most Missouri community colleges and from the State Technical College of Missouri. Scholarship amounts and guidelines vary and are set by each school. Each State, Spirit and Regional winner who continues his or her education next fall will receive a $100 scholarship from the Missouri STEM Foundation.

The program recognizes outstanding educators who teach in nontraditional career education programs for their support of nontraditional students and employers who are supportive of these students’ choices. Nontraditional careers are occupations or fields of work in which one gender comprises less than 25 percent of the individuals employed in that occupation or field. Since 1994, Missouri Breaking Traditions Awards have honored outstanding students who have chosen specific career and technical education programs based on their interests and who have not let their gender influence their career decisions.

College and career readiness is a primary goal for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Top 10 by 20 initiative which calls for education in Missouri to rank in the top 10 nationwide by 2020.