Michigan High School, College Students Eligible for Up to $85,000 in Scholarships from Michigan First Credit Union

LATHRUP VILLAGE, Mich. –Michigan First Credit Union, in conjunction with its young adult financial education program, Young & Free Michigan, are offering high school and college students across the state of Michigan the opportunity to win up to $10,000 in scholarships as the financial institution kicks off its 12th annual scholarship contest on January 6. Funded by the Michigan First Foundation, this year’s program will give away a total of up to $85,000 in scholarships to local students. Michigan First President/CEO Michael Poulos made the announcement.

Throughout the contest’s history, Michigan First and its Michigan First Foundation have given away more than $908,000 in scholarships to local students. This year’s program will once again feature three categories in which the top winner in each will receive a $10,000 scholarship with the runners up receiving $5,000 and $3,000 scholarships, respectively. Additionally, Michigan First will also be selecting more than 30 additional high school applicants to receive $1,000 scholarships.

“A credit union founded by educators, Michigan First uniquely understands the importance of education as well as the enormous amount of funding needed to facilitate the continuation of higher education,” Poulos said. “Our annual scholarship program is a creative and fun way for us to further build upon our partnership with local schools and communities across Michigan, while simultaneously investing in the future of our great state by offering assistance to the young adults who will one day be our leaders.”

Those interested in submitting entries to the contest must answer the question: “What invention do you think the world would be better off without and why?” Depending on the category, applicants are encouraged to share their innovative responses via a 60-second video or a 300- to 500-word essay.

Applications will be accepted from January 6, 2016, through 3 p.m. EST on February 1, 2016, at YoungFreeMichigan.com. All applicants must be high school seniors or current college students, as well as members of Michigan First, but interested students throughout Michigan may join the credit union when they apply for the contest. Public voting, in which the top 10 applicants in each category will be determined by an online vote, will take place between February 5 and 15. The winners will be selected by a panel of judges and announced by February 29.