Six Kalamazoo County high school students seeking to major in STEM-related fields will attend Kalamazoo College in the 2024-25 academic year as Heyl scholars.
The Heyl Scholarship Fund was established in 1971 through the will of Dr. Frederick Heyl and Mrs. Elsie Heyl. Frederick Heyl was the first chemist at The Upjohn Company, later becoming a vice president and the company’s first director of research. When he retired in 1945, he had contributed scientifically to some 80 research papers and patents while also teaching chemistry at Kalamazoo College. He maintained a lifelong passion for science and education and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from K in 1937.
Since then, Heyl scholarships have enabled hundreds of high school graduates from Kalamazoo County to attend Kalamazoo College for STEM-focused majors or Western Michigan University for nursing, with renewable benefits for up to four years that cover tuition, fees, housing and a book allowance.
This year’s K recipients of the scholarships and their high schools are:
- Charles Gordon, Hackett and the Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center (KAMSC)
- Maxwell Lloyd, Portage Central and KAMSC
- Nathan Gleason, Portage Northern and KAMSC
- Isabella Hahn, Vicksburg and KAMSC
- Katherine “Kate” Suarez, Loy Norrix and KAMSC
- David “Dominick” Fooy, Loy Norrix and KAMSC
Three additional Heyl scholars—Grace Mohney of Schoolcraft and KAMSC, Sean Dhanaraj of Kalamazoo Central and KAMSC, and Chaise Gould of Kalamazoo Central and KAMSC—will attend the Western Michigan University Bronson School of Nursing.