Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Google+ Share on Reddit Share on Pinterest Share on Linkedin Share on Tumblr On Wednesday, May 11, 2016, ELGA Credit Union hosted their annual Scholarship Reception to announce the recipients of their 2016 scholarship program. In the weeks prior, over a dozen ELGA Board Members and Associates spent many hours pouring over countless scholarship applications, filled out dozens of rubric score sheets, and met for intense discussions to select the winners from a very qualified pool of candidates. At the reception we proudly gave four high school seniors who will be attending college in the Fall of 2017 $1,000 each for the Carmen Lee Wilber Memorial Scholarship. Additionally, we were honored to give one Giving Back Community Scholarship of $1,000 to an ELGA member who is currently attending college. Carmen Lee Wilber Memorial Scholarship – $1,000 The first recipient of the Carmen Lee Wilber Memorial Scholarship was Katherine Arnes. She is a graduate of Davison High School where she was a member of the National Honor Society and earned her service cords by volunteering over 133 hours during her high school career. Katherine participated in Varsity Track and Field where she is the current record holder for the Shuttle Hurdle Relay, Varsity Sideline Cheer, and Competitive Cheer where she served as captain for both squads. She has received many special honors and awards including High Honor Roll, Cardinal Award, Leadership Award, and has received the Saginaw Valley Conference All Academic Award for Cheer multiple times. Katherine plans to earn her degree while attending the University of Findlay- College of Pharmacy. Our second recipient was Jessica Bishop, a graduate of Birch Run High School. She was a member of both Student Council and the National Honor Society. She also participated in Varsity Soccer and Cross Country, serving as the captain of both teams. Jessica received many awards that include Student of the Month, Scholar Athlete in all sports, and 1st team in both sports. She has given back to her community through volunteer efforts at her school, Special Olympics, St. Mary’s Hospital, and New Lothrop Church of the Nazarene, to name a few. Jessica will be attending Olivet Nazarene University to pursue a degree in Dietetics. Our third recipient of the Carmen Lee Wilber Memorial Scholarship was Rachel Briggs. She is a graduate of Hill-McCloy High School in Montrose where she was a member of the National Honor Society and Student Council, and also participated in Varsity Basketball, Softball, and Volleyball. Rachel has earned numerous awards including Academic Scholar, Scholar Athlete, Defensive Player of the Year, Genesee Area Conference All League, and was selected to represent her high school as Homecoming Queen. She is dedicated to serving her community by volunteering over 195 hours some of which include numerous blood drives, regularly spending quality time with residents at a Montrose nursing home, coaching at many youth basketball camps, and raking leaves for homebound individuals. Rachel will be attending Central Michigan University in the Fall where she will pursue a degree in Physical Therapy. Our fourth and final Carmen Lee Wilber Memorial Scholarship recipient was Shannon Shaughnessy. She is a graduate of Flushing High School where she was a member of the National Honor Society, Student Leadership Organization and Mu Alpha Theta. She was also the Vice President of the Model UN Group, a member of the Debate Club, participated in Varsity Swim, and was in the Drama Club. Shannon has received many awards which include High Honors, Scholar Athlete, Coach’s Award, Guts Award, and Most Improved Swimmer. She volunteered her services at Motherly Intercession providing tutoring to children with incarcerated parents. She also tutored children with learning disabilities such as ADD, ADHD and dyslexia, and accomplished all of these many things while also working a part-time job. Shannon plans to attend the University of Michigan to pursue a degree in Psychology with a focus on Law, Criminal Justice and Forensics. Giving Back Community Scholarship – $1,000 The recipient of the Giving Back Community Scholarship was Samantha Dunning. She is a student at Madonna University where she is pursuing a double major in the areas of Sign Language Interpreting and Social Work, and has made the Dean’s List every semester for the past two years. She is a member of the university Dance Team and Sign Language Studies Club. Samantha also gives back to her community though her dedication and many activities at the Eastside Mission. She often serves lunch at the mission and volunteers on various activities focused committees including the Back to School Bash, Vacation Bible School, and the packaging and distribution of Easter Baskets. Upon receiving her degrees from Madonna University Samantha plans on being a full-time advocate and ally for the deaf community. Although it was extremely difficult to select just five winners from the many qualified candidates, again we are extremely honored to recognize and award all of these amazing recipients with our 2016 scholarship opportunities. Look for the announcement of our 2017 Scholarship Program on our website, www.ELGACU.com, in the beginning of 2017.
