Cook Family Foundation

The coronavirus pandemic has made it a difficult time for high school graduates. Still, recognition of the leaders and best in the Shiawassee region remains a priority of the Cook Family Foundation. This spring, 23 young men and women from ten area high schools will receive scholarships to the University of Michigan thanks to the generosity of the Cook family. 

Two students have been awarded one of the highest accolades in the greater Shiawassee County region, the Bruce & Jacqueline Cook Scholarship, which provides four years of tuition to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.  Another 20 students have received scholarships from the Cook Family Foundation, including one recognizing the Foundation’s benefactor, Donald Cook. 

Mason Collard

Mason Collard of Owosso and Kyah Ribble of Perry have both been awarded the prestigious Bruce & Jacqueline Cook Scholarship, which is funded by its namesakes separately from the Foundation.  Academically accomplished high school seniors in the Shiawassee region are nominated each fall and invited on a trip to Ann Arbor.  Winners are selected based on their educational achievement, leadership, and scholarly promise.  

Mason Collard of Owosso is the son of Jeff and Yvette Collard.  He is the Salutatorian of his class at Owosso High School and was a National Merit Commended Scholar as well as a Shiawassee Scholar.  He also received the Frederick E. Gould and a  Regents Merit Scholarship from the University of Michigan. Mason was a representative at Boys State and ran track and cross country, in which he was a two-time States qualifier. He plans to major in Biology or Microbiology in the hope of working in the field of scientific research.

Kyah Ribble

Kyah Ribble is the daughter of Lee and Nina Ribble. She graduated from Perry High School third in her class and was a National Merit Commended Scholar as well as a Shiawassee Scholar. She was the drum major of the marching band, played volleyball and ran track. Kyah plans to major in physics and work toward a PhD. in experimental particle physics.

The Donald Cook Scholarship was awarded to Kerra Hinrichs of New Lothrop. The Donald Cook Scholarship, endowed by the Cook Family Foundation, is awarded by the University of Michigan to a student attending the College of Literature, Science and the Arts and is named after the 1920 graduate of the University of Michigan who established the Foundation with his wife Florence-etta in 1978. 

Kerra Hinrichs

Kerra Hinrichs is the daughter of Jon Hinrichs and Jennifer Pemberton. She is the Valedictorian of the 2020 New Lothrop High School class and a Shiawassee Scholar. She served as president of the New Lothrop student council and the FFA.  Kerra played volleyball and ran track.  She  is interested in pursuing a medical career and will major in pre-med at Michigan.

Of the 23 scholarship recipients from the ten area high schools, seven of them are valedictorians of their class. Scholarship winners are, from Byron Area High School, Brandon Brozich; from Chesaning Union High School, Katrina Pursche; from Corunna High School, Evan Roka; from Durand High School, Jacob Lockhart; from Laingsburg High School, Anne Claus; from Morrice High School, Hayley Lademann and Alina Stinson; from New Lothrop High School, Kerra Hinrichs and Charles Weber; from Ovid-Elsie Area High School, Shayne Loynes, Benjamin Maynard, Noah Payne, and Ella Sheedlo; from Owosso High School, Mason Collard, Kathleen Dignan, Lynnae Gilman, Noah Jafri, Avery Peplinski, Lucille Popovitch, William Scrimger, and Jorden Sowash, and from Perry High School, Lindsey Bixler and Kyah Ribble.

Two of the scholarship winners, Lucille Popovitch and Charles Weber, graduated from high school in 2019, but deferred their enrollment for one year to pursue experiences in foreign countries.  

The May 11th dinner to recognize scholarship winners and their families has been cancelled this year. Prof. Anne Curzan, Dean of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts was intending to speak.  The Cook Family Foundation was later able to hold an alternate outdoor scholarship reception, bringing back a 1993 scholarship recipient, Kellie (Durling) Grasman to speak about her Michigan experience and the paths her 1997 UM Graduation has taken her on. “We wanted to celebrate these outstanding students and send them off to college with the recognition they deserve,” said Foundation President Bruce Cook.

While most of the students plan on attending the University of MIchigan in Ann Arbor this fall, one student will be attending UM-Flint and two students will be attending UM-Dearborn.  The Foundation provides scholarship support to high-achieving students attending any of the University of Michigan campuses.  Learn more on our Scholarship Pages

This fall, 20 young men and women from nine area high schools will receive scholarships to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor thanks to the generosity of the Cook Family Foundation.  The future Wolverines were recognized at a dinner on May 7 and two students received special scholarship awards.

Laingsburg resident Autumn Zwiernik was awarded the Bruce & Jacqueline Cook Scholarship.  This four-year, full tuition scholarship is funded separately from the Foundation by its namesakes.  Autumn is the daughter of Matthew Zwiernik and Denise Kay and is a graduate of Del Mar Academy in Costa Rica, where she has spent the last year developing her Spanish skills and doing research on sea turtles.  She intends to pursue a science degree and study environmental issues at the University of Michigan.

The Donald Cook Scholarship was awarded to Olivia Graham, Laingsburg High School valedictorian, and the daughter of Troy and Shannon Graham.  She has been either President or Vice President of her class for the last four years, and is President of the Michigan Congregational Youth Council.  Olivia will investigate a major in political science, women’s studies, or public health.

The Donald Cook Scholarship is awarded by the University of Michigan to a student attending the College of Literature, Science and the Arts and provides $5,000 per year for four years at U-M.  It has been financially supported by the Cook Family Foundation in recognition of the Foundation’s founder.

Special guest speaker at the event was Kedra Ishop, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management of the University of Michigan. Dr. Ishop oversees undergraduate admissions, financial aid, the registrar, marketing and communications. Dr. Ishop noted how competitive admission to UM has become, reporting that this year there were over 65,000 applications for only 6,800 places in next year’s incoming class.  She congratulated the incoming students from Shiawassee County and provided advice on how best to take advantage of the higher education opportunities in Ann Arbor.

Of the 20 scholarship recipients from the nine area high schools, six of them are valedictorians of their class. Scholarship winners were: from Byron, Lillian Keesler and Timothy Marvin; from Chesaning, Weston Wendling; from Corunna, Charles Bruckman, Benjamin Jacobs, and Jacob Johnson; from Laingsburg, Malinda Barberio, Olivia Graham, and Zachary Koonter; from Morrice, Rhianna Lucas, from New Lothrop, Garrett Birchmeier, Caitlynn Bruff, and Charles Weber; from Ovid-Elsie, Haley Hilgendorf and Jakob Loynes; from Owosso, Abigail Christian, Taylor Estes, and Morgan Louch; from Perry, Ella Fisher; and from Laingsburg, Autumn Zwiernik (Del Mar Academy).

Eleven of the scholarship winners were recognized as Shiawassee Scholars when in eighth grade.  This program, funded by the Cook Family Foundation and operated by the Shiawassee Regional Education Service District, supports academically talented students during their high school year.  The program begins with an overnight college trip for eighth graders right after their graduation from middle school. Scholarship winner Autumn Zwiernik noted that she was inspired to attend the University of Michigan after attending the Ann Arbor campus on this trip four years ago,

More information on the Foundation’s scholarships can be found here.