Whitney Young Outreach Scholarship

Whitney Young Village Outreach is a local nonprofit organization established in 2005 with the sole purpose of enriching the lives of those who come from deprived socioeconomic backgrounds. The purpose of The Whitney Young Outreach Scholarship is to honor the dedication of its founding Board President, Mrs. Katherine (Kathy) Miles, original Board Members and former Board President, Mr. Floyd Miles ’77, and current Board Member and Financial Officer Mr. Christopher T. Wilks. It is because of their combined dedication that the funds for this scholarship are available. Through various philanthropic functions, they have been able to support numerous institutions; especially ones that place education in the forefront. It is the hope of the Board that the monies available for this scholarship will encourage and enable promising students the financial backing to engage in their studies, while pursuing a degree in Engineering.

The donors want to provide an opportunity and a pathway for students from challenging socioeconomic backgrounds to advance their education. Financial hardship will be a consideration when selecting an individual for this scholarship. It is hoped that the recipients of this scholarship will exhibit the ideals of the Whitney Young Village Outreach founding members.

The purpose of this scholarship is to provide funding for engineering students.

  1. Candidates who meet one or more of the following will be given additional consideration:
    1. Graduates of urban public schools
    2. Transfer student from community college
    3. Participants of TRIO or Upward Bound programs
    4. Participants of Padnos College of Engineering and Computing outreach activities such as; STEPS, AIME, FIRST, MATHCOUNTS
    5. Participants of GRAPCEP, GEARUP Michigan or a similar program any time during their K-12 educations
    6. Lived in Section 8 or Section 236 housing
  2. Must be accepted and enrolled with full-time degree seeking status in the School of Engineering
  3. Must be Junior or Senior level students with minimum of 55 credit hours and cumulative GPA of 2.7 or greater
  4. Shall be making satisfactory academic progress according to the norms established by the University and the School of Engineering as applicable
  5. Transfer candidates must be accepted by GVSU for enrollment and be attending the University

Renewal Criteria: Renewable for a maximum of 3 years



Page last modified March 16, 2021