Students Receive $363,200 in Scholarships

Graduating seniors from Charlevoix County high schools will receive a total of $363,200 in scholarship funds to help them launch into college and post-secondary education and training programs. This year, a total of 81 scholarships were awarded, including more multi-year scholarships, which provide financial assistance for students beyond their first year of school. Scholarship funds were established by local citizens and groups to honor family members, community leaders, educators, and others who value continuing education.

Collaborative scholarship awards are new to the Community Foundation this year. Collaborative awards have made it possible to provide more significant support for students in their pursuit of post-secondary education and training by pooling available dollars from individual funds. For the student, this means multi-year support, which is extremely helpful as they continue on past their first year of college. The first collaborative scholarship was awarded this year to Karissa Givens, of Charlevoix, who plans to attend the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in the fall to study mechanical engineering. Givens was grateful for the award, saying, “Receiving this aid means so much to me. Not only will this assist in keeping my college loans low, but it also shows the hard work that I've been putting in for the last thirteen years.”

Likewise, Boyne City’s Magee Behling, was grateful to be the first recipient of the new Frank J. Lamesfield Boyne City Scholarship. “By receiving this scholarship I will be able to start college with less worry about the financial burden of paying for college,” she said. Behling will be attending Hope College to study chemistry. This fund was established with a gift from the estate of Frank J. Lamesfield to benefit students living in the Boyne City Public School District and will provide up to six years of support for students who receive the scholarship each year.

All scholarship recipients shared their excitement and gratitude, stating that this support will allow them to focus on their education and earning a degree instead of their financial burden. Some students said that feeling the community’s support and recognition through their scholarship award was particularly meaningful to them as they head out into the world on their own for the first time.

Each year the Community Foundation awards scholarships to outstanding local students with financial need who are entering the skilled trades, community colleges, and 4-year colleges and universities. These students have demonstrated their eagerness to succeed beyond high school and have shown promise in their work ethic and in their academic achievement.

Here's the complete list of scholarships awarded and scholarship recipients for 2021.  

For more information about how to support Charlevoix County youth through scholarships, or to find out how your scholarship fund can join efforts to create larger, multi-year awards in the future, please contact Sara Ward.