From Robotics to Software Engineering: Smiddy Scholarship Supports Klevorn’s Dreams

Thanks in part to the Emily & Frank Smiddy Scholarship through the Community Foundation for Mason County, Ludington High School graduate Olivia Klevorn is confidently pursuing a degree in software engineering at Michigan Technological University (Tech) in Houghton, Michigan.

Olivia was the 2023 recipient of the $40,000 award, the Foundation’s largest scholarship, which is given to one outstanding Mason County student each year. The Smiddys, former owners of ProAct Environmental Services in Ludington, have a passion for STEM-related learning and wanted to give back to the community in which they owned a business.

“It’s a huge, life-changing opportunity,” Olivia shared, highlighting the impact of this STEM-focused scholarship. With the support of the Smiddy scholarship and other scholarships through the Foundation and beyond, Olivia anticipates being able to graduate debt-free within four years.

Olivia’s passion for technology, ignited during her robotics team days at LHS, thrives at Tech. As a freshman, she relished the challenge of working on a software project team. The former Youth Advisory Council president has embraced the collaborative environment, honing her skills in team management and problem-solving. This experience and others have helped Olivia build a resume that landed her a summer internship with Tegrit, a software engineering firm ranked a Detroit Free Press Top Workplaces company, where she confirmed her love for her desired field.

Thanks to an early start in applicable credits from dual enrollment at West Shore Community College while she finished high school, Olivia has enough credits to be a junior while in her second year at Tech. She embraces classes like Data Structures, where professors encourage her to dive deeper into the complexities of computing.

Olivia also manages a healthy school-life balance. When she’s not studying she enjoys exploring the plentiful trails and waterfalls of Houghton and the Keweenaw Peninsula. Olivia participates in a swing dance club and sails with the Michigan Tech Sailing Team, also serving on its executive committee. It comes as no surprise to those who know this active student.
Olivia began dancing with the Letha Fulton School of Dance at age 3, and she developed a passion for sailing while spending time on the water with family and friends and from time with the Ludington Youth Sailing School, first as a student, then as an instructor. She even hopes to relive the excitement of an all-women’s regatta at the University of Wisconsin this fall after an impressive showing during intense conditions in 2023.

Olivia’s ambition matches the significance of her scholarship. She plans to pursue a career in software engineering with a tech company and will consider a future in the energy field as well, knowing the importance of clean energy to the environment.

Although the market for software engineering in Mason County is currently limited, Olivia is optimistic that the growing trend of remote work will eventually enable her to return home. She dreams of living near her family and enjoying the beauty of her favorite waterways, where ishe can pursue her passion for boating on the Great Lakes.

Acknowledging that the Smiddy scholarship supports her dreams, Olivia would like to be able to help support students in that same way by establishing her own fund at the Community Foundation in the future.

“The biggest possible thank you!” Olivia said, expressing her gratitude to the Smiddy family. Their generosity is enabling her to flourish at a college she loves. Olivia’s advice for future Community Foundation scholarship applicants is simple: “Be yourself, write in your own voice. Put yourself out there … Maybe it will pay off in a really incredible way!”

If you’re a high school or homeschooled senior, current college student, early college senior, or adult student, the Community Foundation for Mason County may have a scholarship for you. The Foundation manages one of the largest scholarship programs in the area, with over $200,000 committed to students in more than 154 new and renewed scholarships awarded each year.

Learn more about scholarship opportunities available through the Community Foundation here.