Our 30th Anniversary Awards Celebration was absolutely loaded with good news. Held at Club Venetian in Madison Heights on June 10, more than 200 people gathered to bear witness to the amazing accomplishments our students have achieved and the generous support we receive from our volunteer career mentors and annual sponsors.
See pics from the event.
In recognition of our 30th anniversary, $30,000 in scholarships was awarded to students in our high school and college Workforce Prep programs. The selection process was competitive and based on the student’s applications, essays, and interviews. Applications were judged by volunteers from the business community. Funds may be used for expenses related to continuing education costs.
Named in honor of our founder, Sam Cupp, and his mentor, Gene Hamilton, our Cupp-Hamilton Scholarship is awarded to current high school students in 12th grade. This year’s recipients are:
Cass Technical High School, Detroit
- Ali Abdullah
- Shanya Matsey
Communication and Media Arts High School, Detroit
- Ashayla Middlebrook
Community High School, Sterling Heights
- Gabriela Frangaj
- Halimatus Sadia
- Lina Yousef
Harper Woods High School, Harper Woods
- Sky Kelley
- Ka’Shayla Taylor
Warren Mott High School, Warren
- Rei Struga
- Tiffany Tran
Our Alumni Scholarship is open to our students who graduated from high school and are participants in our Year 4-7 (continuing education) program. This year’s recipients are:
- Rabika Ali, Wayne State University, Cass Technical High School
- Reaghan Cohen, Tennessee State University, Community High School
- Amaya Davis, Macomb Community College, Warren Mott High School
- Joshua Hudson, University of Michigan, Harper Woods High School
- Nazifa Kadir, University of Michigan, Cass Technical High School
- Jessica Murphy, Wayne State University, Harper Woods High School
Lina Yousef from Community High School also received our Melvin Akins Memorial Scholarship. Named after a Winning Futures alum who tragically died in an auto accident, the scholarship was established by Melvin’s former career mentor at Warren Mott High School, Kevin Sutton, and his wife Lauren. The scholarship recognizes one student who embodies Melvin’s positive attitude and drive for success and demonstrates relentless effort to overcome obstacles.
Seven of our Year 4-7 (continuing education) students were recognized for graduating from college. Those students are:
- Briana Hurt, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Cass Technical High School
- Kayla Lewis, Michigan State University, Cass Technical High School
- Sally Pham, University of Michigan, Warren Mott High School
- Angelica Tibbitts, Saginaw Valley State University, Pontiac Academy for Excellence
- Aidan Watkins, Wayne County Community College, Harper Woods High School
- Mohammad Zaman, Michigan State University, Warren Mott High School
- Joseph Zora, Wayne State University, Warren Mott High School
In addition to celebrating our students, we also recognized volunteers who have reached their five-year and ten-year career mentoring anniversary with us. We are grateful to have these dedicated career mentors who commit to working with our students year after year. This year’s honorees are:
Five Year Career Mentor Awards:
- Sami Abu-Soud, Lead Wiring Design Release Engineer, Flex
- Rasha Al-Naji, Director, Program Management, Flex
- Melanie Cates, RTP & VTIM Service Desk Team Lead, General Motors
- Alexis Hammerle, Vice President, Digital and Strategy, BNY Mellon
- Jason Hurley, Customer Account Specialist, McNaughton-McKay Electric Company
- Jennifer Janhevich, Community Health Educator, Blue Cross Complete of Michigan
- Tallette Kitchen, Team Lead, Leidos
- Lida Kuehne, Supplier Quality Value Stream Engineer, General Motors
- Brenda Lever, Director, Provider Network Management, Blue Cross Complete of Michigan
- Tony Popovski, Purchasing Manager, General Motors
- Anitra Riddle, Business Analyst, TD Bank
- Christine Swart, Marketing Communications Manager, Celanese
- Krista Wortman, Dentist/Owner, Summit Family Dental
- Sarah Zigila, VP of Operations & Partnerships, Orbis Holding Group
Ten Year Career Mentor Awards:
- Ashley Fordyce, School and Community Relations Coordinator, Extra Credit Union
- Clarence Martin, President, Eypex
Our work would not be possible without generous support from our annual sponsors. Their backing fuels our mission to empower Metro Detroit students, helping them figure out what they’ll do after high school, teaching them the skills and knowledge they’ll need to succeed, and providing guidance and support as they pursue their academic and career goals. Thank you to our annual sponsors!
We are seeking Metro Detroit business professionals to serve as volunteer career mentors for our students. With training and support, career mentors attend on-site sessions and coach students through our program, participating with them in hands-on activities, discussions, and completion of workbook pages. Learn more.