Community Foundation Awards 10 Macomb Students $5,000 in Scholarships

When it comes to paying for college, every little bit helps and this year, 10 Macomb Township students will receive an extra $500 toward their continued education, courtesy of the .

Sifting through a total of 51 applications, the Scholarship Review Committee– chaired by Gary E. Cynowa and composed of Margaret DeMuynck, Gary Fifield,
Roselie Ruebelman, Judge Douglas Shepherd and Albert Taylor–selected 10 students to receive $5,000 in scholarships for the 2012-13 academic year.

"I was thrilled to receive 51 excellent applications from Macomb Township
students ..." Cynowa said, in a prepared statement. "It made our judges' job in March quite difficult in determining the best 10 from so many good ones. It took an entire month for them to read and evaluate all of the applications. We feel confident and grateful that the future of our community and this state will be in the hands of such capable young people."

This year's scholarship recipients include:

• Four-time winner Christopher Hopper, Harvard University
• Kaley Ball,
• Megan Bastuba, Dakota High School
• Michael Cross, Dakota High School
• Laura Osaer, Dakota High School
• Aaron Brzezinski, De La Salle Collegiate High School
• Monique Fiscelli, Eisenhower High School
• Ariana Mirian, Henry Ford II High School
• Kevin Duffy, Utica Center for Math, Science, and Technology
• Amber Lanter, Macomb County Community College

To be eligible for the scholarship, the foundation required that students be Macomb Township residents, current graduating high school seniors or students already attending an accredited post-high school institution, have a cumulative 3.0 or higher GPA and return a completed application with two letters of recommendation and a personal essay.

Students had from Jan. 10 to Feb. 24 to apply.

"The MTCF Board is very proud of the quality of the 10 winners and the other 41 who also entered but did not receive a scholarship," said MTCF President Mark Hurst, in a prepared statement. 

The 10 winners, their families and their principals will be recognized May 17 at the foundation's annual scholarship awards dinner at the .

An 11th schoalrship will also be awarded to one student from the foundation's newly launched .

Tickets for the recognition dinner are $50 and include a catered meal with refreshments. The event is 6-8 p.m.

To purchase individual tickets or to enlist as a business sponsor for the recognition dinner,  contact Nancy Nevers at 586-286-6407 or by e-mail at nancynevers@comast.net.