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SHELBY TOWNSHIP — A Kettering University student from Shelby Township is among the 26 students in Kettering University’s inaugural class of The Michigander Scholars.
Kettering University has the largest incoming class of Michigander Scholars of any Michigan public or private university.
The program offers scholarships for $5,000 to $10,000 to qualifying scholars who complete a co-op or internship and/or accept a full-time position as a computer, electrical or process engineer or software developer with a participating company and commit to staying in Michigan for 12 months. Students with co-ops or internships receive $5,000, while those accepting full-time positions receive up to $10,000.
Kettering’s first-ever winners of the state’s scholarship incentive included 13 students with General Motors, five students with Ford Motor Co., three students with BorgWarner, three students with Bosch, one student with ZF and one student with Hemlock Semiconductor.
Matthew Attisha is the student from Shelby Township and part of Kettering’s Class of 2024 in computer and electrical engineering. Attisha is an alumnus of the Utica Center for Math, Science and Technology, and he received a Ford Motor Co. co-op award for $5,000 for this coming semester, which will be renewable once for another $5,000 for his next and last semester.
The Michigan Economic Development Corp. said in a press release that “the Michigander Scholars program is the first of its kind in the U.S. and represents an unprecedented public-private partnership with some of Michigan’s major advanced manufacturing employers and universities.”
Attisha said he is honored and grateful to be selected as a Michigander Scholar.
“This award has to do with working in the electric vehicles and mobility, as well as semiconductor, spaces. Mobility in particular is a field that I am highly passionate to continue working in. I have always been enamored with things that move on their own, so naturally the progression of my engineering career would bring me to working in mobility,” he said.
He said he plans on networking with other Michigander Scholars to broaden his horizons and increase his knowledge in these fields.
“I am excited to eat a little nicer for my last year of college thanks to the award too,” he said.
He said becoming a Michigander Scholar was made possible by being involved and making connections. He is a member of the Michigan Delta chapter of Phi Delta Theta, where he has made some of his closest friends and developed many of his professional skills including leadership, training, event planning, organization and effective timekeeping through the various officer positions he has held.
“Additionally, I serve as the secretary for the Kettering student government’s finance council and the vice president of the interfraternal council, where I further developed my skills as a leader and as a professional. I have seven completed rotations as a co-op at Ford Motor Co. and have just begun my eighth rotation ranging from working with validation testing for a vehicle’s backup camera from an (electronic control unit) to working for Ford’s robotics mobility team focusing on two main projects,” he said.
He said the first of those projects is a large, four-wheeled package delivery robot that could climb stairs and is meant for large, automated, non-factory deliveries, including home delivery, and the second project is a smaller four-wheeled package delivery robot meant for quick, small item transports for either factory or manufacturing delivery or non-factory delivery, such as home or other on-the-street delivery.
Kettering President Dr. Robert K. McMahan said during a press conference at the campus that coincided with its spring employment fair, which included nearly 400 students connecting with more than 100 companies from Michigan and other states, that Kettering University is proud to be one of only a few institutions and the only private school approved for The Michigander Scholars by the Michigan Economic Development Corp.
“The Michigander Scholars program is a robust talent retention strategy that aligns perfectly with Kettering’s co-op model and our mission to provide our students with an educational experience built upon a best-in-class education combined with hands-on work experience. One powerful result of our talented students and graduates building careers here is they act as critical fuel for Michigan’s high-tech industries, whose success is built upon attracting and retaining highly educated, accomplished, and motivated graduates,” McMahan said, according to the press release.
The Michigander Scholars program give top technology and engineering students in Michigan a special look at the EV, mobility and semiconductor sectors, plus career guidance and networking opportunities with employers. Universities involved in the program see the skills that employers are looking for in students. Participating employers gain access to a pipeline of talent for internships and full-time positions.
MEDC Executive Vice President and Chief of Talent Solutions and Engagement Officer Kerry Ebersole Singh said that everybody wins with the Michigander Scholars program.
“Michigan wins by promoting our advanced manufacturing employers, career opportunities, and top-tier universities. It’s a win for students at Michigan colleges, and Michiganders attending college out of state, to gain real-world, hands-on workforce training through paid internships. And it’s a win for our state’s innovative companies to develop talent pipelines that are fundamental to their success,” Ebersole Singh said in a press release.
In February, The Michigander Scholars program was expanded to make sophomores and graduate students eligible for scholarships, and computer and process engineers were added as career roles. Also, the MEDC added Kettering University in Flint and Wayne State University in Detroit as new higher education partners, as well as several new employers, including Hemlock Semiconductor, SK Siltron CSS, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota and Mobis.
“I am confident that The Michigander Scholars program will continue to find wonderful emerging engineers, and I am again extremely grateful to have won this award and utilize it to help me further my career,” Attisha said.
