MCC students, donors recognized at scholarship luncheon

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — Macomb Community College students who received scholarships this past fiscal year recently had the opportunity to meet their donors.

On April 19, the Macomb Community College Foundation held its annual Donor Scholarship Luncheon on the college’s Center Campus with approximately 150 donors, students and college representatives.

More than $350,000 in scholarships were awarded to approximately 480 students during the last fiscal year, July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022.

“This is really the one chance I get every year to extend my personal thanks both to you, the donors and to our students for all the work they are doing to pursue their academic goals,” Macomb Community College President James O. Sawyer IV said during his introductory comments. “It’s an opportunity for the donors to meet and hear the stories of the students they are supporting and get a sense for how their generosity is making a profound difference in those students’ lives.”

VitaMaria LoDuca served as student speaker. The 22-year-old Clinton Township resident is completing her classes this year for an associate degree in pastry arts. In February 2024, she plans to participate in the IKA/Culinary Olympics in Stuttgart, Germany, as a member of Macomb’s team prior to graduating. LoDuca received three scholarships: the Vince & Joe’s Gourmet Market Culinary Scholarship, Elaine Belich Memorial Culinary Scholarship and the Louis Franchin Pastry Art Scholarship.

Adjunct professor Darrett Pullins also addressed the crowd. During his keynote speech, he credited his parents for his passion for education and the desire to create two scholarships in their name.

The following new scholarships and a program fund were announced at the luncheon:

• The Margaret Anderson Scholarship was established to honor economics professor Margaret Anderson and to support students pursuing education in the fields of economics, business or finance.

• The DentaQuest Dental Science Scholarship was established for students enrolled in either the dental hygiene or dental assisting programs.

• The Frank Johnson Utility Diversity Endowed Scholarship was established to honor Johnson on his retirement from Consumers Energy by the Consumers Energy Minority Advisory Panel. The scholarship will provide financial assistance to students seeking education in areas that impact the talent pipeline for energy.

• The Brian Newman Accounting Scholarship was established by Macomb professor Brian Newman to provide financial assistance to accounting students.

• The Par-Kut International Endowed Scholarship for Metal Fabrication was established to provide financial assistance to students seeking education and training in careers related to metal fabrication.

• PCS Product Manufacturing and Technology Scholarship was established by the PCS Company to support and promote students with a desire to build a career in the manufacturing industry.

• The Marie Rees Macombers Endowed Scholarship was established by the family of Marie Rees to continue her legacy of support for the Macombers.

• The Summit Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Scholarship was established to support the education of dental hygienists and dental assistants.

• The Paul B. Thacker Business Administration Endowed Scholarship and the Paul B. Thacker Information Technology Endowed Scholarship were established to provide financial assistance to students in business administration and information technology programs.

• The Business and Information Technology Program Fund was established to provide awards to business and information technology tutors in addition to their wages upon achieving a required number of tutoring hours.

Visit macomb.academicworks.com to review all of the college’s scholarship programs.