Cook Family Foundation

The Cook Family Foundation supports Shiawassee County organizations and University of Michigan students, bringing them together by supporting summer internships with our Owosso Fellows program. Our goal is to bring these talented young people back to our community for a summer’s employment. This helps nonprofits by providing them with the best and the brightest to work on a definable project and helps students by giving them an opportunity to put their skills to work, learn more about their community from a new perspective, and gain additional financial support for their continued education.  We will bring students serving in internships together during the summer to share their experiences and learn from one another.  We will meet in Owosso and investigate this community; hence the name Owosso Fellows (though we will support internships anywhere in the County.)

We are currently seeking University of Michigan students to fill these summer positions, we currently have 6 on our website to choose from, with more continuing to come in!   These internships will be for a minimum of 35 hours a week for at least 10 weeks; with the potential to extend this engagement.  Students will receive at least $15 per hour for their work.  If interested, simply contact the organization to discuss details.

Take a look at our Fellows page to see the opportunities available.

Here are testimonials from a few past Fellows talking about their experiences:

Cook Family Foundation was the summer home of Michigan State University Freshman and recent Owosso High School graduate, Jena Samson. Jena was responsible for re-organizing and scanning files from 2015-2022. As well as taking scholarship applications from 1980-2022 and making sure the correct information was in our student database system, as well as updating the student database system getting ready for the upcoming 2023 seniors. She has also been shadowing Kerry Dutcher (office manager) on learning how to do  payroll, write up grant agreements, and organize the Shiawassee Internship Fellow process. “Having this opportunity to see business from a different perspective was very important for me to see. In the past  I have seen how corporate businesses are run and seeing how a non-profit is run has been an amazing experience for me! I am so happy I got to experience this amazing non-profit and what they do in action. I am glad I got to make so many wonderful connections with the people here. I am looking forward to taking what I have learned this summer and applying it to my future work experiences!”

Memorial Healthcare Center provided an opportunity to Shayne Loynes, a junior at the University of Michigan and graduate of Ovid-Elsie High School, a unique experience this summer. He spent his summer doing clinical research, shadowing doctors and pharmacists, and the Nfl studies. During the Nfl study he received training on how to consent patients so he was able to also consent and enroll a number of patients into the study. Shayne is majoring in Biochemistry. Having an internship at Memorial Healthcare has given Shayne a different outlook on his career goals. “All in all, my research experience was absolutely incredible. I loved every part of my journey here at Memorial Healthcare and couldn’t be more thankful for all the relationships I made. I am looking forward to taking what I’ve learned and applying it to my future studies!”

Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership gave Callum Holley a University of Michigan-Flint sophomore and Ovid-Elsie Alum a chance to learn ins and outs of an Economic Development Partnership. Callum is studying Political Science. Callum’s main objective was research, some examples are: The Federal and state governments, The Michigan economic Development Corporation, The International Economic Development Corporation, The United States Economic Development Agency, etc. Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership has given Callum a more in depth look of how these Nonprofits are run. “I have felt really valued in my position, and I would say the best part has been having the privilege to sit in on both our regular Monday morning staff meetings, and childcare meetings with the SEDP board. We at the SEDP are people who accomplish great things, and it has been an honor to see many of our programs come to fruition, with an impact that has really helped our county. I cannot thank everyone at SEDP enough for the opportunities they have given me, and I cannot wait to bring the skills I learned this summer to both U of M, and my future career.

Twenty-nine of the most academically accomplished high school seniors from the Shiawassee County area recently made a trip to Ann Arbor. (See below for the full listing of all forty-four nominees, which includes those nominees unable to attend the trip.)

Forty-four of Shiawassee County region’s most academically accomplished high school seniors have been nominated for scholarships to the University of Michigan by the Cook Family Foundation.  One of these students will be selected to receive a four-year, full-tuition, scholarship from Bruce and Jacqueline Cook.

In order to assist them with their college selection, thirty-one of the nominees recently attended an overnight trip to the University of Michigan. There they had the opportunity to meet with admission officers, to take a tour of the campus and stadium, to hear a presentation from a professor, and to spend time with students from the Shiawassee County area presently enrolled at the University of Michigan.

“We want to make sure the leaders and the best among local high school students seriously consider the University of Michigan for the next level of education,” said Foundation President Bruce Cook.  “We are committed to the academic success of local students, and are committed to building partnerships with our public schools and our oldest public university.”

Each of the nominees will receive at least a $3,000 scholarship to the University of Michigan from the Cook Family Foundation.  The Cook Family Foundation annually provides a scholarship to any student from the greater Shiawassee region admitted to the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.  

If they apply and are admitted to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, the following students will be considered for the Bruce and Jacqueline Cook scholarship: from Byron: Olivia Chapman, Julia Slackta, Kelsea Strzelecki-Davis; from Chesaning: Hannah Cooper, Dominick Hernandez,, Breeanna Schlicker, Kathrine Shelton, Joshua Sicard, Emily Smith, and Eric Waswick; from Corunna:  Haley Kennedy, Isaiah Shook, Kaylee Siddens, Peyton TerMeer; from Durand:  Zachary David, Jillian Reddy, Hannah Sharkey, and Jaxon Smith; from Laingsburg:  Kathryn Magyar, Sydney Morrill, Casmir Palazzolo, and Ian Smith; from Morrice:  Payton Gutting, from New Lothrop:  Hayden Andres and Tyler Kohlmann; from Ovid-Elsie: Brooklyn Belill, Austin Darling, Ryan Gavenda, Breckin Kirby, Ella Powell, Austin Smith, Alexis Spitzley, and Gabrielle Steele; from Owosso:  Claire Agnew, Amanda Brainerd, Tanner Cummings, Abigail Dryer, Tyler Hufnagel, Liam McGraw, Marisa Rose, and John (Jay) Tuttle; and from Perry:  Cassidy Flick, Jonah Smith, and David Zheng.

This is the eighteenth year of the Bruce and Jacqueline Cook scholarship, which is funded entirely by its namesakes.  Past recipients of the Bruce and Jackie Cook Scholarship have included Dillan Morell from New Lothrop in 2022, Elizabeth Tolrud from Owosso in 2021, Mason Collard from Owosso and Kyah Ribble from Perry in 2020, Autumn Zwiernik from Laingsburg in 2019, Tyson Moore from Corunna in 2018, Elizabeth Hoornstra from Chesaning in 2017, Mitchell Lawrence from Byron in 2016, Nick Miller from Laingsburg in 2015, Nolan Wendling from New Lothrop in 2014, Emily Feuka from Perry in 2013, Sam Whaley from Perry in 2012, Adam Stewart from Laingsburg in 2011, Valerie Micol from Byron in 2010, Adam Dingens from Corunna in 2009, Randy Piper from Owosso in 2008, Dan Frechtling from Perry in 2007 and Kendra Frye from Owosso in 2006.

In addition to scholarships to help students attend the University of MIchigan in Ann Arbor, the Foundation recently announced The University of Michigan Shiawassee Advantage.  Now any graduating senior with a GPA of 3.5 or higher from any of the ten high schools in the greater Shiawassee region will receive a $3,000 Cook Family Foundation Scholarship if they enroll at any one of the three University of Michigan campuses (Ann Arbor, Dearborn or Flint).  Additionally, these students will then become eligible for many of the substantial U of M merit-based scholarships, as well as the full-tuition Go Blue Guarantee if they have demonstrated financial need.

For assistance applying to UM, or for more information on scholarships, contact the Foundation.