Slide 1 - Donate
Slide 1 - TheVision2023 Outcomes Report
Slide 2 - Celebrating 30 Years

Celebrating our Awesome 2020-21 Students, Mentors, and Sponsors!

Share this:

Our annual Awards Celebration was live and in-person this year! While we still practiced Covid safety protocols, the energy and excitement of being together on a perfect summer evening was undeniable. Some of our students met their mentors face-to-face for the first time, and other students were simply happy to see their mentors outside of a Zoom call!  

Watch students give their scholarship acceptance speeches!

Click here to see pics from our 2021 Awards Celebration! 

Our 2021 Awards Celebration took place on May 26 at the Butcher Education Center in Warren. We celebrated these young adults for their unprecedented resilience and commitment to their education during this generation-defining pandemic and for their excellence in our Workforce Prep program. In recognition of their hard work and accomplishments, 19 students were awarded a total of $26,000 in scholarships. In their acceptance speeches, we learned that, in addition to developing life and job readiness skills, the time spent with their mentors in our Work Force Prep program was a supportive outlet from the pressure of online learning.  

Alizsa Johnson is a student at Harper Woods High School and said, “I always felt more confident in myself and the future after meeting with my mentor.” 

Tiera Barnett, a student at Cass Technical High School, said, “This virtual part of my life has been awesome!”  

We proudly recognize the 2021 Cupp-Hamilton Scholarship Recipients: 

Cass Technical High School, Detroit

Tierra Barnett 

Mentored by Julie Owens, Operations Supervisor, U.S. District Court – Eastern District of Michigan 

 

Miyah Hepburn 

Mentored by Besima Mellow, Treasury Manager, Ally Financial 

 

Sha’Niya Simmons

Mentored by Alexis Hammerle, Vice President of Product Developers, BNY Mellon  

 

Community High School, Sterling Heights

Rafel Abdulmaseeh 

Mentored by Alexandria Marjamaa, Project Administrator, OCG Company 

 

Mariah Sheperd-Sias

Mentored by Colleen Hau, Director of Global Product Innovation, Carhartt 

 

Harper Woods High School, Harper Woods

Shania Dean-Motley 

Mentored by Tonya Moore, Senior Supplier Quality Engineer Global CT Lead for Switches, General Motors 

 

Matthew Dickerson

Mentored by Dionte Brown, Program Coordinator, LGBT Detroit 

 

Paris Ellis

Mentored by Torri Garland, Engineer, General Motors  

 

Alizsa Johnson

Mentored by Valencia White, Technology Compliance Program Manager, Rock Central LLC 

 

Durell Thomas Jr 

Mentored by Clarence Martin, President, Eypex 

 

Mumford High School, Detroit

Chrishani Pleasant 

Mentored by Sarah Zigila, Manager of Strategic Partnerships, Orbis Holding Group 

 

Pontiac Academy for Excellence

Kiera Cordero 

Mentored by Britt Storrs, Underwriter, United Shore 

 

Warren Mott High School, Warren

Amaya Davis 

Mentored by Kelly Savela, Senior Social Publisher, GTB 

 

Kassidy Lapastora

Mentored by Lori Gulecki, Analyst- Financial Shared Services. (Education and P&I), Kelly Services 

 

Shanaz Munni 

Mentored by Jill Jones, Travel Agent, Cadillac Travel 

 

We proudly recognize the 2021 Alumni Scholarship recipients: 

Steven Bernard 

Harper Woods High School, Harper Woods 

Cuyahoga Community College 

Mentored by Brittany Rhodes, Founder and General MATHager, Black Girl MATHgic 

 

Kayla Lewis

Cass Technical High School, Detroit 

Michigan State University 

Mentored by Leavetta White, Training Specialist, Quicken Loans 

 

Jay’la Rivers

Cass Technical High School, Detroit 

University of Michigan-Flint 

Mentored by Erika Jackson, Product Compliance Manger, Square 

 

We proudly recognize the 2021 Melvin Akins Memorial Scholarship recipient: 

Meron Eeso

Community High School, Sterling Heights 

Mentored by Dave Lewan, National Account Service Manager, Kelly Services 

 

Our work and student accomplishments would not be possible without the generous support from our partners, many of whom attended the Awards Celebration. Leading the pack is Lear Corporation, our Program Presenting Partner. More than 100 other businesses and charitable organizations also support us. On behalf of the students and communities we serve, thank you for helping these students find success! 

As we wrap up a successful school year, we’re already planning and recruiting virtual mentors for the 2021-22 school year. Next year’s program will be completely online, with staff facilitating educational lessons followed by mentors meeting with their students through Zoom meetings. Mentors receive training and support before, during, and after every meeting. Apply to be a virtual mentor in the 2021-22 school year or, if you’d like to support our students, contact Daniela Matthews at Daniela@WinningFutures.org