Scholarship Recipient Marches with Gratitude
Kathleen “Kat” Wang, a 2023 Community Foundation for Mason County scholarship recipient, was reminded of how much her world had expanded when she marched into “The Big House” for the first time as a member of the University of Michigan Color Guard. She recalled, “It was unreal. There were so many people. I looked up, and I was on the big screen!”
A graduate of Ludington High School, Kat has been pre-admitted to the School of Education. She balances a rigorous schedule at her new home in Ann Arbor, studying biology, chemistry, Chinese, and Spanish. She also spends considerable time preparing for football games with the color guard. Kat and 40 other “flags” practice Monday through Friday and audition before each game to perform. Only half earn the honor.
Although the university is big and its opportunities endless, Kat appreciates some of the more intimate traditions offered at her dorm, Martha Cook. The building has a gold room known for hosting “super fun” tea parties with tea and cookies every Friday – a social event to meet other girls in the building. The dorm also provides cider and donuts the day before each football game. In addition, Kat enjoyed participating in Harry Potter Week last fall, when each house competed to earn points.
Kat also appreciates the academic resources available to her at the University of Michigan. “You can get help in any way you need,” from tutoring and mentorship to learning communities like the one she joined to strengthen her chemistry studying skills.
“I am so overwhelmingly thankful and grateful,” Kat said when reflecting on being a recipient of the Oriole Foundation Scholarship, Miller Family Scholarship, and Epworth Fund for Ludington Scholarship. “It’s crazy to think I’ve been given money for college!” She said the scholarships encourage her to keep working hard. Kat looks forward to continuing to prove that she is using donors’ money “to do really good things.”
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. We manage one of the largest scholarship programs in our area, with $289,000 committed to students in over 154 new and renewed scholarships awarded each year.