Credit Union Awards $24,000 in Scholarships
June 23, 2014
Educational Community Credit Union (ECCU) held a reception on June 14 in recognition of 21 outstanding students who received $24,000 in scholarships. A total of $340,000 has been awarded to graduating high school seniors through ECCUs scholarship program, which was established in 1999 to enhance the educational opportunities and advancement of the credit unions member/owners. Scholarships are awarded annually to high school seniors who not only demonstrate academic achievement, but community involvement, extracurricular activities and financial need.
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The 2014 ECCU Scholarship Awards Ceremony was held at ECCUs Main Office on 9th Street in Kalamazoo with over 70 people in attendance. ECCUs President and CEO, Charles Cornelius, presided over the ceremony and presented eighteen $1,000 and three $2,000 scholarships. The $2,000 scholarships were created and named the Robert E. Treloar Scholarship and the Donna vanWestrienen Scholarship in honor of two individuals for their dedicated service on ECCUs Board of Directors for over 20 years, and the Robert S. Hunt Scholarship in honor of ECCUs retired President/CEO who led the credit union for 30 years.
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The $2,000 Robert E. Treloar Scholarship was awarded to Amanda Bischof. Amanda graduated from Portage Northern High School and plans to attend the University of Michigan to major in Chemical Engineering.
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The $2,000 Donna vanWestrienen Scholarship was awarded to Lynsey Wall. Lynsey graduated from Paw Paw High School and plans to pursue Science/Pre-Pharmacy at Kalamazoo Valley Community College.�
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The $2,000 Robert S. Hunt Scholarship was awarded to Caitlin Puhalski. Caitlin graduated from Schoolcraft High School and plans to pursue Elementary Education at Grand Valley State University.
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Eighteen $1,000 scholarship awards were given to each of the following recipients (their high schools and academic plans are as follows):
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Alyssa Chase, Gobles High School, Michigan State University, Veterinary Technology.
Kailey deWeever, Plymouth High School, Eastern Michigan University, Elementary Education.
Kyler Haring, Vicksburg High School, Saginaw Valley State University, Science.
Colin Johnson, Portage Northern High School, Vanderbilt University, Secondary Education.
Josh Lee, Byron Center High School, Hope College, Athletic Training.
Richard Mauldin, Three Rivers High School, Western Michigan University, Aviation.
Alyssa McAndrew, Lawrence High School, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Architectural Engineering.
Genevieve McDaniel, Lawton High School, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Undecided Major.
Kyle Milka, Portage Northern High School, University of Michigan, Computer Science.
Payton Mills, Portage Central High School, Grand Valley State University, Finance & International Business.
Jennifer Mroczek, Decatur High School, Southwestern Michigan College, Early Childhood Education.
Ryan Poniedzielski, Portage Northern High School, Michigan State University, Psychology & Elementary Education.
Madison Ring, Schoolcraft High School, University of Minnesota-Duluth, Pre-Occupational Therapy.
Madison Spratt, Plainwell High School, Grand Valley State University, Undecided Major.
Lukas Swoboda, Plainwell High School, Western Michigan University, Mechanical & Medical Engineering.
Luke Tetreau, Lawrence High School, University of Colorado-Boulder, Chemical Engineering.
Amanda Torres, Heritage Christian Academy, Grace College, Counseling/Criminal Justice.
Brandilee Welcher, Otsego High School, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Business Administration.
ECCU would like to extend their congratulations to all 2014 high school graduates and their families, and wish them great success as they begin their collegiate careers this fall.
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Established in 1935, the credit union exceeds $414 million in assets and provides a full-range of financial products and services to more than 37,000 members throughout 21 counties in Michigan. Visit eccu1.org to learn for yourself why ECCU just feels right, and ECCU members feel right at home.
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Photo Caption: ECCU recognized the 2014 scholarship award recipients at a reception held on June 14, 2014 at the credit union. Sixteen of the 21 recipients attended the event and are shown here. Front row (left to right): Jennifer Mroczek, Alyssa Chase, Kailey deWeever, Madison Spratt, Madison Ring, Caitlin Puhalski, Lynsey Wall, Amanda Torres, Colin Johnson. Back row (left to right): Luke Tetreau, Payton Mills, Alyssa McAndrew, Josh Lee, Kyler Haring, Kyle Milka, Amanda Bischof. Not pictured: Richard Mauldin, Genevieve McDaniel, Ryan Poniedzielski, Lukas Swoboda, and Brandilee Welcher.