What happens when more than 250 students, mentors, sponsors, and supporters come together to celebrate success, achievement, and a shared commitment to empowering tomorrow’s workforce? You get an unforgettable evening filled with pride, joy, and a whole lot of applause.
“Our 2025 Awards Celebration was just that—a powerful reminder that when we invest in young people and surround them with caring adults, incredible things happen,” said our President and CEO, Kristina Marshall.
From the moment guests arrived and started snapping photos at the selfie station, the energy in the room was electric. As our board member Marcelo Conti, Executive Director of Purchasing at General Motors, kicked off the evening with heartfelt welcome remarks, it was clear that we weren’t just celebrating milestones—we were witnessing the impact of our mission in real time.
Recognizing the Best of the Best
Throughout the night, we honored the students, mentors, and sponsors who make our seven-year Workforce Prep Mentoring Program the success it is today.
We awarded $30,000 in scholarships to students in our 12th grade and continuing education programs, including the prestigious Cupp-Hamilton Scholarship, named in honor of our founder, Sam Cupp, and his mentor, Gene Hamilton. These scholarships support students as they pursue college degrees, technical training, and apprenticeship programs.
Our 12th grade winners came from our Metro Detroit participating schools. Each winner demonstrated determination, growth, and a commitment to their future. One of the most moving moments came when Ashley Chavez-Gonzalez of Pontiac Academy for Excellence took the stage. Not only did she earn a Cupp-Hamilton Scholarship, but she also received the Melvin Akins Memorial Scholarship, created in honor of a beloved alum who embodied resilience, positivity, and heart. This year’s winners include:
Cass Technical High School
- Aniya Alexander
- Danyella Amison
- Jamari Gary
- Marvin McCallum
Communication & Media Arts High School
- Korey Colton
Community High School
- Kaldia Yousef
Harper Woods High School
- Terryn Thomas
Pontiac Academy for Excellence
- Ashely Chavez-Gonzalez
- Jason Gillow
- Jeremy Singleton
Warren Mott High School
- Emike Bell
Our continuing education winners are former high school program participants who are now in our mentoring program while completing college, trade school, or an apprenticeship. This year’s winners include:
- Ivory Brown, Central State University, Harper Woods High School
- Shania Dean-Motley, Tennessee State University, Harper Woods High School
- Shanaz Munni, Wayne State University, Warren Mott High School
- Jayla Sanders, Tennessee State University, Cass Technical High School
- Rei Struga, Wayne State University, Warren Mott High School
We also celebrated eight students in our continuing education program who completed their degrees or certifications. Seeing former high school students walk across the stage as college and trade school graduates is the ultimate fulfillment of our mission—and it’s a moment we never take for granted.
- Chelton-Estelle Ali-Watkins, Wayne State University, Harper Woods High School
- Jocelin Cardenas, Wayne State University, Pontiac Academy for Excellence
- Nia Coleman, Michigan State University, Cass Technical High School
- Ryen Dann, Oakland Community College, Warren Mott High School
- Paris Ellis, Hope College, Harper Woods High School
- Joshua Hudson, University of Michigan, Harper Woods High School
- Jessica Taylor, Oakland Community College, Madison High School
- Lilly Zubeck, Macom Community College, Warren Mott High School
Honoring Dedication and Mentorship
Our program doesn’t work without our incredible volunteer mentors—local professionals who give their time, wisdom, and heart to help guide students through our program. This year, we proudly recognized 16 mentors for reaching milestone years of service.
Ten mentors celebrated their fifth year of being a mentor in our program:
- Chanese Brown of LoanDepot
- Kelly Cobbin of Birthday Behavior LLC
- Torri Garland of General Motors
- Cassandara Gilliam of Stellantis
- Elise Gouldbourne of Black Family Development
- Errol Hau of Cap Trust
- Bruce Pierce of Ford Motor Company
- Ana Sandoval of KOSTAL of America
- Patrick Vondette of EW Grobbel & Sons
- Leavetta White of Rocket Mortgage
Five mentors celebrated 10 years of dedicated service, including:
- Tamika Carden of Tenneco Powertrain
- Brian Davis of State of Michigan
- Gavin Haque of Gavin Haque Industries
- Michale Malaga of Comerica Bank
- Senthil Vivekanandan of Ultra Clean Technology
One very special mentor, Matthew Michayluk of Complete Prototype Services, was recognized for 15 years of service. His long-term commitment is a testament to the life-changing relationships formed through mentoring.
Thanking our Sponsors
The fact is, we don’t exist without financial support from generous sponsors and grantors. We invite them to our Awards Celebration to be recognized, but more importantly, to see first-hand how their support is resulting in meaningful outcomes, for our students and their families, communities, and workplaces. Thank you!
We need mentors!
The smiles, the hugs, the proud families—our Awards Celebration is the joyful result of thousands of hours of mentoring, planning, learning, and growing. But our work is far from done. We need more mentors for the 2025-26 school year. If you’ve ever wanted to make a lasting difference in a young person’s life, this is your chance. All it takes is a couple of hours a month—and the impact lasts a lifetime. Learn more and apply: https://winningfutures.org/volunteer/mentor/