(June 2, 2025 10:22 AM ET) The Amanda J. Mierzwa Memorial Fund today announced its 2025 scholarship winners, 15 outstanding young women from Jackson County high schools.
- Monroop Bamrah, a 2022 graduate of Jackson High is awarded a $1750 renewal scholarship.
- Faith Smith, a 2022 graduate of Lumen Christi is awarded a $1250 renewal scholarship.
- Kayla Johnson, a 2022 graduate of Jackson High is awarded a $1250 scholarship.
- Ella Stage, a 2023 graduate of Napoleon is awarded a $1500 renewal scholarship.
- Sydney Kellar, a 2023 graduate of Western is awarded a $1500 renewal scholarship.
- Ella Easterday, a 2023 graduate of Grass Lake is awarded a $1250 renewal scholarship.
- Lillian Heydenburg, a 2023 graduate of Western is awarded a $1250 renewal scholarship.
- Madelin McPherson, a 2024 graduate of Northwest is awarded a $1000 renewal scholarship.
- Savannah Cushman, a 2024 graduate of Columbia Central is awarded a $1000 renewal scholarship.
- Ashley Vivian, a 2024 graduate of Western is awarded a $1000 renewal scholarship.
- Qianyu Zhang, a 2025 graduate of Western is awarded a $750 scholarship.
- Tanvi Tyagi, a 2025 graduate of Jackson High is awarded a $750 scholarship.
- Alexis Thornhill, a 2025 graduate of Lumen Christi is awarded a $500 scholarship.
- Isabelle Ortiz, a 2025 graduate of Jackson High is awarded a $500 scholarship.
- Danielle Losey, a 2025 graduate of Western is awarded a $500 scholarship.
The fund, established in 2017, is in memory of a beloved and brilliant scientist, Amanda Mierzwa. Amanda was raised and educated in Jackson County (Western School District) before heading off to the University of Michigan for her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, earning her master’s degree and PhD from the New York University School of Medicine, and launching a successful career in neuroscience at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. Sadly, Ms. Mierzwa passed away in 2015 at age 34 after a courageous battle against triple negative breast cancer.
Scholarships are awarded annually to female graduates of a Jackson County Michigan high school who are majoring in a STEM discipline at the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor. As a general guideline, recipients will have demonstrated excellent performance in their academic career as well as significant participation in activities contributing to the betterment of society.
With these awards, a total of 90 scholarships totaling $96,000 have been awarded to date.
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