LANSING, Mich. — The 2017 LAFCU Women Helping Educate Every Lady, or W.H.E.E.L., Scholarships have been awarded to three women who see education as the direct path to a new career and a more financially secure future for their families.
The winners are Emily Martin, St. Johns; Sheri Haviland, Lansing, and Rita Ashcroft, DeWitt. Each received a $1,000 scholarship to attend Lansing Community College (LCC) beginning this fall.
“The W.H.E.E.L. program supports women who are taking the initiative to return to school as nontraditional students to meet life goals,” said Kelli Ellsworth Etchison, LAFCU senior vice president of marketing. “Emily, Sheri and Rita want more for themselves and their children. They want to achieve their dreams, and we are recognizing them because they are incredibly inspiring role models.”
LAFCU said it created the W.H.E.E.L. program to encourage women to pursue the education needed to enter or re-enter the workforce or to advance their careers. The scholarships support the credit union’s long-standing ‘people helping people’ mission.
Sheri Haviland, a married mother of three, has spent her adult life caring for others, including her parents who have required extensive assistance during illnesses. With her youngest child beginning first grade, Haviland realized now is the time to pursue her education. She earned a GED diploma early in 2017 – 21 years after dropping out of high school – and will pursue an associate degree in business. Besides earning a college degree, Haviland wants her children to see that no matter what life throws at you, it’s possible to achieve life goals.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in 2002, scholarship winner Rita Ashcroft held a variety of positions before becoming a stay-at-home mom. When her children began school, her passion for fitness prompted her to become a Certified Personal Trainer, which in turn led to her next goal, a nursing career. Ashcroft attends LCC, has a 4.0 GPA and plans to apply to the Michigan State University College of Nursing for 2018. She looks forward to the gratification of serving others as a nurse and helping her husband provide for their family.
Emily Martin, a single mother of a toddler, has earned an associate degree and plans to begin work on a bachelor’s degree in financial institutions to qualify her for greater career opportunities. She’s inspired by her daughter and wants to model personal and professional success for her. Martin also sees education as a way to be a better partner to her fiancée in achieving their joint goals.
Each applicant submitted a one-page essay about returning to school, which was used to determine the winners. Eligible applications had to live or work in LAFCU’s service area.