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ECCU awards $24,000 in scholarships to high school students

KALAMAZOO, MI (June 17, 2015) —  Educational Community Credit Union (ECCU) held a reception on June 13 in recognition of 21 outstanding students who received $24,000 in scholarships. A total of $364,000 has been awarded to graduating high school seniors through ECCU’s scholarship program, which was established in 1999 to enhance the educational opportunities and advancement of the credit union’s member/owners. Scholarships are awarded annually to high school seniors who not only demonstrate academic achievement, but community involvement, extracurricular activities and financial need.

The 2015 ECCU Scholarship Awards Ceremony was held at ECCU’s Main Office on 9th Street in Kalamazoo with 15 of the 21 recipients and their families in attendance. ECCU’s Board Chairman, David Aubry, presided over the ceremony, while President and CEO, Julie Blitchok, and board members Richard Cahow and Barbara Winter presented the 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 ECCU’s Board of Directors for over 20 years, and the Robert S. Hunt Scholarship in honor of ECCU’s retired President/CEO who led the credit union for 30 years.

The $2,000 Robert E. Treloar Scholarship was awarded to Daniel Christensen. Daniel graduated from Gull Lake High School and plans to attend Kalamazoo Valley Community College to major in Geological Engineering.

The $2,000 Donna vanWestrienen Scholarship was awarded to Michaela Niefert. Michaela graduated from Portage Northern High School and plans to pursue Social Work at Kalamazoo Valley Community College.

The $2,000 Robert S. Hunt Scholarship was awarded to Justin Penny. Justin graduated from Portage Northern High School and plans to pursue Business at Kalamazoo College.

Eighteen $1,000 scholarship awards were given to each of the following recipients (their high schools and academic plans are as follows):

  • Maya Ablao, Portage Northern High School, Michigan Technological University, Audio Production & Technology.
  • Noah Aleman, Portage Northern High School, University of Michigan, Spanish and Pre-Med
  • Ashley Algarin, Otsego High School, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Medical Field
  • Holly Conner, Portage Central High School, Indiana Wesleyan University, Pediatric Nursing
  • Clark Crenshaw, Gull Lake High School, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Nursing
  • Alexanderia Kiser, Three Rivers High School, Andrews University, Interior Design
  • Katelyn Kring, Portage Central High School, Michigan Technological University, Geological Engineering
  • Estevan Martinez, Portage Central High School, Michigan State University, Pre-Med
  • Nathan Miner, Hudsonville High School, Kendall College of Art & Design, Illustration or Industrial Design
  • Trenton Monroe, Plainwell High School, Olivet College, Actuarial Sciences
  • Zachary Montague, Mattawan High School, Grand Valley State University, Secondary Education
  • Autumn Rohr, Otsego High School, University of Northwestern Ohio, Automotive Technology
  • Havier Roller, Kalamazoo Central High School, Berklee College of Music, Music Composition
  • Evan Semrau, Mattawan High School, Western Michigan University, Mechanical Engineering
  • Kalli Sternaman, Three Rivers High School, Kalamazoo College, Biology
  • Sydney Swope, Pinckney High School, Grand Valley State University, Nursing
  • Arianna Wilder, Decatur High School, Southwestern Michigan College, Photography
  • Austin Zeitler, Portage Central High School, Michigan State University, Engineering

ECCU would like to extend their congratulations to all 2015 high school graduates and their families, and wish them great success as they begin their collegiate careers this fall.

With seven convenient locations, ECCU is a full-service financial institution serving anyone who lives or works in a 21-county area in West Michigan. For details about the credit union, visit www.eccu1.org. 

About ECCU

Established in 1935, ECCU has grown from serving only Kalamazoo school employees, to serving the greater educational community, to now providing a full range of financial products and services to anyone who lives, works, worship or attends school in any of our 21 Michigan counties. The credit union exceeds $419 million in assets and serves more than 37,200 members. Visit eccu1.org to learn for yourself why ECCU just feels right, and our members feel right at home.

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