Scholarships

Each year, the U-M Club of Cleveland provides scholarship funding to deserving high school students from the Cleveland area (440-444 zip codes). In 2024, we will provide two students with one-time awards of $7,600 each to help cover their costs and continue the Michigan tradition of excellence.

If you wish to be considered for a U-M Club of Cleveland Scholarship, please complete and submit this application.

ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY 11:59 P.M. ON SUNDAY, APRIL 14, 2024.

Interviews will be held in person on SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2024 for the most qualified applicants. If you are selected for a scholarship, you will receive notification no later than April 30th.

If you have any questions, contact Mark S. Edelman, Scholarship Selection Chair, by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at 216-533-3940.

Donate to Our Scholarship Fund

The Leaders and Best is a simple and very familiar refrain to us all. These four words sum up the aspirations of a University of Michigan graduate better than any other phrase, and also issue a challenge to all of us who care about Michigan.

In order to continue the tradition of The Leaders and Best, we need to make sure we can attract prospective students who meet this description. Unfortunately, many deserving students lack the financial resources to attend the U-M, and that’s where you can do your part to help. The cost for an out-of-state student to attend the University of Michigan approaches $58,000 per year.

Each year, the U-M Club of Cleveland provides scholarship funding to deserving high school students from the Cleveland area.

“Thank You” from SCHOLARSHIP Recipients

2018 Scholarship Recipients Anirudh Lagisetty and Allison Stewart 

Anirudh Lagisetty – On a cold winter day this past January, my friend Ashka and I embarked on a walk around campus to find our classes for the upcoming semester. In between the academic buildings, we stumbled across a museum and decided to go in. While we did not expect this detour, we spent a few hours exploring the exhibits of ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian artifacts and had an incredible time. In essence, this afternoon expresses what my experience at the University of Michigan has been like.

I have experienced surprises in many ways. For example, my classes have not only interested and inspired me but also introduced me to many career paths and options within my major. As a computer science student, I can add minors such as entrepreneurship or statistics to supplement my education. I have also attended career fairs, which helped me learn firsthand what employers expect of an individual in my major. Without the resources provided at the University of Michigan, I would not have known about these options as I progress into my future.

I have also had many opportunities for such experiential learning. We actually returned to the museum with my Greek mythology class to see their new exhibits, as well as identify the figures in the art there that we had learned about in class. While I value the learning that derives from lectures and reading, I also believe that hands-on, in-person experience is essential to learning, and I have been lucky to see firsthand that the University of Michigan values this as well.

Finally, the University of Michigan has helped me form strong bonds with many new friends. I’ve attended football games where I can meet other Michigan fans and celebrate my school spirit, I’ve connected with fellow students with whom I can study and further my academic development, and I’ve found many other spots on campus that I love, like my favorite restaurant No Thai!

I could not be more glad that I chose to attend the University of Michigan. I considered many universities, but after completing my first year, I have realized that there is no better place I could complete my education. I would like to thank the UM Club of Cleveland for their generous assistance with funding my education here. This scholarship greatly helps me with the cost of out-of-state tuition and continue achieving my dream of attending this university and I could not be more grateful. Go Blue!

Allison Stewart – My first year at Michigan has truly been one of the best years of my life. I have learned so much about myself, grown in so many ways, and have had so many amazing experiences. Academically, I have definitely been challenged throughout the year, however I love that I am interested in the classes that I am taking. When I made my schedule for first semester I was elated to finally take classes that covered more abstract topics that I did not have the chance to study in high school.

As a pre-admit to the Ross School of Business, I have had many opportunities to get involved in the Ross environment, which is both amazing and intimidating. I have always known that I wanted to study business, so to have the opportunity to be at one of the top business schools in the country is absolutely incredible. Recently I attended the Michigan Undergraduate Consulting Convention, where I was able to interact with some of the top consulting firms and learn about the field of consulting. The ability to have these hands-on experiences with companies is something unique to Ross and they have taught me so much about how to interact with people working in the business world.

Most importantly, I have made so many amazing friends throughout the last year. In the fall I participated in sorority rush and I am now a member of Sigma Kappa, which has been incredible. Michigan went from being incredibly large and intimidating, to feeling like home after I rushed and had the chance to meet so many amazing people. I also attended every football game – yes they are as amazing as people say – and became a huge sports fan attending events for everything from basketball to women’s gymnastics.

I have truly found my place at Michigan and I would like to thank the UM Club of Cleveland for the generous scholarship that they awarded me. Michigan was my dream school, but financially, out-of-state tuition is a lot. The scholarship that I was awarded made it easier for me to say yes to Michigan, because it eased the financial burden on my family. I am so thankful that I can call myself a Michigan Wolverine and be a student at this amazing school. Go Blue!

2016 Scholarship Recipient Lucy Grierson shared this about her freshman year:

“As my first year here at the University of Michigan comes to an end, I realized that attending this university has been the best decision of my life thus far. I have grown and changed exponentially in the past year and I love it. My classes and textbooks have taught me several concrete concepts. However, it is the people and organizations where I have learned the most from.

As soon as I got to campus, I had tried out for the Club Tennis Team and was fortunate enough to be offered a spot. I have connected so well with the whole team because we all share a love for tennis and competition. Being able to travel with the team has added many memories to my freshman year of college.

I was also lucky enough to be selected to be in the second cohort of the Entrepreneurs Leadership Program (ELP). Through my courses and summer internship at a startup, I am given the opportunity to pursue my entrepreneurial interests. Also, this program has introduced me to some of the most successful and innovative thinkers at the University of Michigan. I hope to one day work with these inspirational peers to better the lives of people.

As a pre-admit student of the Ross School of Business, I was able to rush and pledge Delta Sigma Pi. This professional business fraternity is comprised of only Ross School of Business students in which every brother has been in my shoes. The professional development I have received thus far from this fraternity has already aided me in networking in the business world. However, the social aspect of this fraternity is what I have come to love the most. The amount of effort the brothers put in to aiding the younger ones proves how much they care for us. This group has become my family on campus and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my college years with and beyond with these caring people.

As a result, I would like to thank the UM Club of Cleveland for the generous scholarship they have given me. Out of state tuition is a huge cost to incur, yet this funding from the alumni association has helped me immensely. I would not trade being a wolverine for the world. I truly love my life here in Ann Arbor and am thankful everyday for it. Go Blue!”

2012 Scholarship Recipient Olivia Kuenzi had this to share about her freshman year:

“Looking back at my freshman year at the University of Michigan, I think I could confidently say that it was one of the most rewarding experiences, both academically and socially, of my life.  I tried my best to take full advantage of the diverse opportunities that Michigan offers, which led me to have a very busy schedule! I lived in Mosher-Jordan as a member of the Michigan Research Community, which helped me secure a position as an undergraduate research assistant at the David Markovitz Retrovirus Lab.  In exchange for credit hours, I worked transforming and mutating the phosphoprotein DEK in hopes of learning more about Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.  I am returning to both the Michigan Research Community, as a peer mentor, and my research position, through UROP’s Research Scholar’s program for sophomores.

In terms of academics, I came to Michigan with the goal of becoming a biomedical engineer.  I quickly learned that my ultimate career aspiration of working in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing pertains more closely with a chemical engineering degree.  With that knowledge, I declared a Chemical Engineering (ChE) major, with hopes of gaining acceptance into a five year “SGUS” program that would allow me to begin my master’s education in pharmaceutical engineering during my senior year of classes.  At the end of this year, I was on the College of Engineering’s Dean’s List and have upperclassmen standing, due to my credit hours.  For my first year, I took a large range of classes – from Engineering 100 to German Fairy Tales – but for this upcoming semester, I will be focusing solely on science.

Though my academic schedule was quite vigorous, I made sure to enjoy my new independence and freedom that I did not have while in high school.  I joined an engineering project team that focused on making maternal health care globally available through a portable pelvic exam table, and rushed Alpha Chi Sigma, the professional chemistry fraternity.  I went to every home football game – GO BLUE! – and even rushed the field after the Michigan victory over Michigan State.  I spent my week nights studying in the UgLi and the Dude with my friends (and even some weekend nights), which helped make my strenuous schedule a little more bearable.

The campus feels like home to me, and I can not see myself going anywhere else.  Without the Alumni Association of Cleveland’s contribution to my education, I do not know if I could have chosen Michigan without being concerned for my finances.  Thank you for allowing me to pursue my education at my dream school – you all have truly influenced my future and for that I am forever grateful.”

2012 Recipient Cam Colella shared this with the Alumni Club:

“My experience at the University of Michigan has been unlike any other I’ve had. Despite entering the Class of 2016 a slightly introverted debate nerd, Michigan has helped me grow into my own. While juggling a rigorous tournament schedule and intense coursework was difficult, I managed to find time to make new friends, schedule weekly poker games, and even found a new blog. I’ll be honest – it hasn’t been easy: college is tough, and being in the Honors program hasn’t made it any easier. That being said, it’s out of that intellectual rigor that I draw the value of this institution.

While initially I thought I’d apply to the PP&E (politics, philosophy, and economics) program, and so took more than my fair share of politics and philosophy courses, I soon fell in love with economics. I joined the Michigan Society of Economics, began to fulfill the pre-requisites for the Honors Economics program, and declared my major late this summer. Now, I’m on track to complete dual Pure Mathematics and Economics majors – all while maintaining my status as one of the top 50 ranked national policy debate teams, being invited to the prestigious National Debate Tournament, and helping propel the University’s top debate team to their position as the second seed of that same tournament.

All of this almost didn’t happen, though. When I received my college acceptance letters, I was faced with a tough choice. I had options (too many to count), but my top choices were Michigan, American University, and the (infamous) Ohio State University. Were I to attend Ohio State, I would pay virtually nothing. American University has one of the top-ranked political science programs in the world (the degree that I thought I would pursue). Michigan, it seemed, wasn’t an economically sound choice. Then, I heard back from the Cleveland Alumni Association. Combined with the scholarship that the debate team awarded me, Michigan (obviously the most academically competitive school on the list) became not only cost-competitive, but actually a better deal than either American or OSU. Honestly, it wasn’t until I started my freshman year economics course that I truly realized the value of this scholarship. Now, every day that I live in and love Ann Arbor, I know that it almost didn’t happen – and that the Cleveland Alumni Association made it possible.”

2011 Recipient Monica Arkin had these words of thanks:

“THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE SCHOLARSHIP! The decreased cost of my freshman year tuition helped my family manage the expensive out-of-state bills. It’s hard to believe that I will be starting my junior year in the fall, time has flown by. I just wanted to take the time to let you know that I am so grateful your scholarship helped me afford Michigan. Choosing Michigan was without a doubt the best decision I have ever made.

I watched the Michigan-OSU game at Fox and Hound with the Alumni Club this past year, and I look forward to doing it again many times in the future!”

Help us continue to support the future Leaders and Best

Please join us in the effort to bring the Cleveland area’s top students to the U-M. Your donation to the U-M Club of Cleveland Scholarship Fund will help provide the necessary funding.

All gifts to our scholarship fund are recognized by the University, and are posted as part of your overall giving plan to the University. In addition, all scholarship contributions are tax deductible for the current tax year if postmarked by December 31. Your contribution may also qualify for a matching program from your company. Check with your employer to see if your organization will match donations to the U-M. The steps for contributing to our scholarship fund are detailed below. If you have any questions, please contact Lesley Gordon at [email protected].

Make your donation online

or

1. Write your check to the “University of Michigan”

2. Place our Scholarship Account Name and Number in the Memo section of your check. (see below).

3. Mail your check to:

SCHOLARSHIP NAME: UM Cleveland Scholarship Fund
SCHOLARSHIP NUMBER: 311230