The Mackinac Island Community Foundation (MICF) has announced more than $121,000 in scholarship awards for graduating seniors from Mackinac Island Public School, recognizing a class of students who excelled academically while navigating the unique challenges of learning on Mackinac Island. 
Photo courtesy of Mackinac Island Community Foundation
In total, $121,227 in scholarships was awarded to seven graduates during the school’s Academic Awards Ceremony held Monday, May 18. MICF trustees and staff said this year’s graduating class stood out for exceeding academic expectations despite the limitations and obstacles that can come with attending school on the Island. 
“The donors who created these scholarships saw those experiences not as obstacles, but as evidence of character and wanted to invest in the people this island has shaped,” the foundation shared in a statement. 
The following students received scholarship support for their continued education:
Roman Gruits received $17,389 to study nursing. 
Kaylee Cowell received $16,647 to pursue early education. 
Marianna Kaminen received $18,578 to study accounting. 
Violet Soderquist received $18,578 to attend Michigan Technological University for engineering management. 
Lakelyn Bunker received $16,441 to attend Central Michigan University for nursing.
Emma Duke received $16,347 to attend the University of Glasgow for criminal psychology. 
Megan Cotton received $16,947 to study elementary education. 
The awards were funded through community scholarship funds, including the Founder’s Scholarship Fund, the Stella King Scholarship Fund, the Margaret W. and Wesley H. Maurer Scholarship Fund, the John F. Franks Scholarship Fund, the Nancy Reeser Scholarship Fund for Women, and the Richard & Jane Manoogian and Mark Gallagher Scholarship Fund. 
The scholarships reflect the Mackinac Island Community Foundation’s continued commitment to supporting local students as they pursue higher education and future careers beyond graduation.
