Five Students Earn $1,000 Scholarships from Plymouth, Canton Chambers

Five students from Plymouth will have a head start in funding their college education when each received a $1,000 scholarship from the Plymouth and Canton chambers of commerce.

The recipients include Rachael Hille of , Nicole Mott of , Michael Fluegemann of , Rebecca Lawton of Washtenaw Technical Middle College and LaQuisha Davis of .

The students were honored by the Plymouth Community Chamber of Commerce on Monday at the at .

Plymouth Chamber President Wes Graff said Wednesday he was thrilled to be able to offer five scholarships to students from Plymouth this year, one for a student from each of the three Plymouth-Canton Educational Park schools, one for Starkweather and one for a student studying outside the district's schools.

Hille, who indicated on her application for the scholarship she plans to attend Hillsdale College to study international business, said she puts a lot of passion into volunteering in the community.

"To me, community service is a way to give back in a way that shows you care," she wrote on her application. "When I volunteer, it is always with something I have a passion for and can put my heart and soul into it."

She indicated she has volunteered with the Special Olympics, Salvation Army, her church and has tutored students.

Mott, who plans to attend the University of Michigan to study neuroscience, indicated she has volunteered at food banks, nursing homes, Special Olympics, the district's elementary schools and has tutored other students.

"I'm surprised how many times I hear people say that community service is just something that will score you a few extra points on your college application or is just something you have to do because it's 'good,'" she wrote on her application. "For me, community service is the way I repay society for the gifts it has granted me."

Fluegemann, who is headed to the University of Alabama to study engineering, indicated on his application that he has tutored students, assisted the middle school swim team coach, provided food for those in need through various charities and has helped with Detroit Public Television.

"When I volunteer, I feel appreciated and that I am making a difference," he wrote on his application. "It allows me to contribute in a positive way to many different groups and people that need help."

Lawton, who plans to attend the University of Michigan to study biology and pre-med, wrote on her application that she has volunteered at the Ann Arbor Veteran's Hospital, has taught catechism, mentored confirmation, and has worked as a volunteer tutor at Washtenaw Community College.

Davis, who plans to attend Schoolcraft College to study nursing, said she has helped clean-up efforts in the community, provide clothes for those in need and feed the homeless during the holidays.

"Community service is when you take the time out of your day to show people that doing things don't always have to require money," Davis wrote on her application. "Community service is a way to give back to your community, help people with their needs and wants."

Linda Lawson, a guidance counselor at Starkweather, endorsed Davis' nomination, noting the student's work in Haiti to build churches and help feed and clothe those in need. She said Davis also has been active in helping others at her school.

Davis' $1,000 scholarship will be matched with another $1,000 from the Schoolcraft Foundation, Graff said.