Courtesy Photo Kyle Kelly receives a certificate from Bay College Faculty Association President and Scholarship Committee Molly Campbell. Second scholarship winner Kathryn Peterson is not pictured.

ESCANABA – Full-time faculty members of the Michigan Education Association (MEA) at Bay College announce the annual recipients of their Faculty Association scholarships for the fall semester 2021. The scholarship was created with the Bay College Foundation to recognize both the academic achievement and unmet financial need of current Bay College students. In doing so, it also serves to increase student retention at Bay College. The fund offers two scholarships of $ 500 each which are awarded to current students returning to Bay College in the fall semester.

Kyle Kelly and Kathryn (Kate) Peterson were selected by the Faculty Association as the two recipients this year.

Kyle Kelly will graduate from Bay College in December with his Associate in Liberal Arts and Associate Arts in Criminal Justice degrees. He plans to continue his studies at Lake Superior State University. Kelly is a member of the aspiring educators club affiliated with the MEA and is active in many groups on campus. He currently has a cumulative GPA of 3.98. Kelly said, “I am very honored to have been selected for this scholarship. The faculty and staff at Bay College are all amazing and I really enjoyed my time in Bay.

Kate Peterson is pursuing an associate degree in the arts and maintains a GPA of 3.89. After graduating, she plans to move to Alaska to work for her uncle’s business. She expressed her appreciation for the scholarship by stating, “This scholarship is such an honor to receive. Bay College wants its students to be successful, and it shows in everything they do to help students.

To be eligible for the award, students must have completed 24 or more Bay College credits with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and have applied for Bay College scholarships. The faculty scholarship is unique in that selection takes place after the regular scholarship award process has been completed.

The Chair of the Faculty Association’s scholarship committee, Molly Campbell, explained the purpose of this process. “The Faculty Association wanted to design a distinctive scholarship that would recognize our wonderful current students who are still working hard to graduate from Bay College. We are very proud of these students and all they have accomplished during their time in Bay, and we really want to make sure they have the opportunity to stay and complete their degrees from Bay College.