2017 Hueschen Scholarship recipients announced

 

 

Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker seniors Jake Bushey and Kaylee Wiese recently received very good news – they were selected as recipients of the Gordon W. and Loyse B. Hueschen Science Scholarship. The two seniors will each receive a four-year scholarship to Michigan State University (MSU). The scholarship covers tuition, fees, room and board.

Jake, son of son of T.L. and Kelly Bushey, of Caseville, will study crop and soil science at MSU.  He’s worked on his family’s cash crop farm for years and he works at another family business –  Bushey Farm Tiling, a drainage tile business. He’s the Laker FFA chapter president and is the Region III president. He’s also involved in the National Honor Society, band and Science Olympiad.

During his first year at MSU, Jake will be an FFA state officer. As a member of the state officer team, he will spend four hours a week at the state FFA office, located at MSU, and he will visit FFA chapters in various areas of the state. He’ll also help plan for the 2018 FFA state convention.

Kaylee, daughter of Robert and LaNette Wiese, of Bay Port, will major in human biology at MSU. Her science classes at Lakers and participating in the Science Olympiad team inspired her to choose science as a career. Kaylee, who is the 2017 class valedictorian, is an FFA officer and is involved in the National Honor Society, Science Olympiad and VEX Robotics. She also participates in dance at Step It Up Studio.

Both seniors are very thankful for receiving the Hueschen scholarship.

“Initially, I was shocked, probably because of the realization that I won’t have to pay for four years of college. That’s out of the way,” Jake said. “Now, I’m able to focus on the (academic) side of college.”

He said when he found out he had been selected for the Hueschen, he texted his parents, who weren’t able to be with him at the time.

“They were thrilled,” he said. “My grandfather was there with me, and he was very excited.”

Kaylee said she’s still in shock about receiving the Hueschen.

“I don’t think it’s set in yet. I still can’t believe it,” she said. “(My parents) are really proud of me and excited because they know I’ve been working toward this for a long time.”

Jake and Kaylee said Laker teachers Don Wheeler and Haley Schulz were very instrumental in helping them be successful in high school.

“They were great in helping me with those soft skills that I needed for the business side of things, and they helped me develop my love for agriculture,” Jake said.

“They helped me improve my communication and public speaking skills,” Kaylee said. “They increased my confidence enough to interview for this scholarship. I don’t think I would’ve been able to do that without their help.”

Both also named science teacher Deb Hasselschwert as someone who inspired them to love science.

“(She) did a very good job of breaking down those hard ideas, especially in chemistry, to a level that’s attainable for most students,” Jake said.

Kaylee also named math teacher Don Manchester.

“He (and Hasselschwert) are enjoyable teachers and their classes drove me toward my career choice,” she said.

Jake said Lakers has prepared him well for life after high school.

“I feel Lakers has given me a strong educational base so I can know what to expect (at the college level), especially in the science department,” he said. “I’ll be able to go into this area (of study) with advanced knowledge than some of the other students, especially with some of the unique programs we have here.”

Kaylee agrees.

“I feel pretty prepared to tackle college curriculum,” she said.

Kaylee and Jake are both enrolled in the dual enrollment program through Mid-Michigan Community College. The classes are at the Huron Area Technical Center. They said the classes are challenging, but they feel it was very worth it. They’ll have sophomore status at MSU because of the college credits they’ve earned through dual enrollment.

“The biggest challenge was keeping up with the coursework and what the college professors expect of you, along with keeping up with involvement in things at (high school),” Jake said.

“There’s a huge distinction between high school and college,” Kaylee noted. “At college, you’re more independent. College professors leave it up to you to be a good student. In high school, your teachers are with you every step of the way – they push you to do well.”

In fact, Laker teachers assisted Jake and Kaylee and other dual enrollment students with their college-level coursework.

Kaylee and Jake are excited about entering the next chapter in their lives. Kaylee said she’s looking forward to being in a new area, meeting new people and trying something different. Jake is looking forward to learning a different perspective of agriculture in college, along with experiencing college dorm life and meeting new people.

The Hueschen Scholarship is awarded each year. The recipients are chosen based on academic performance, test scores, awards and honors, the number of science classes taken and the difficulty of all classes taken. Recipients need to be accepted into a science program at MSU. The scholarship has been awarded since the mid-1990s and is only available to Laker seniors.