The Kellogg Community College Foundation is pleased to announce $28,000 in total awards to 33 student recipients of the Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Jon Harpst Promise Scholarship for the 2026-27 academic year.
The scholarship program was recently renamed in honor of Jon Harpst, a longtime member of the Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Club and the driving force behind the Promise Scholarship.
Harpst is a longtime Rotarian and joined the Coldwater Township club in 2006 after moving to Coldwater with his wife, Ruby. With his background in marketing and belief in thinking big, Harpst envisioned a scholarship program that could help address the region’s need for skilled health care professionals and tradespeople. His persistence brought Rotary members, community partners and donors together to establish the Promise Program in partnership with the KCC Foundation. He continues to serve as a director of the Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Foundation.
The recipients of this year’s scholarship include:
- Muath Abdaullah, Coldwater, Nursing
- Salli Abdo, of Coldwater, Dental Hygiene
- Nada Ahmed, of Coldwater, Nursing
- Maram Al-Gabri, of Coldwater, Dental Hygiene
- Samantha Bernard, of Coldwater, Nursing
- Kylie Cook, of Coldwater, Dental Hygiene
- Karlie Eagen, of Union City, Dental Hygiene
- Kyler Economou, of Quincy, Physical Therapist Assistant
- Ariela Garcia, of Kalamazoo, Dental Hygiene
- Mackenzie Hale, of Athens, Nursing
- Shania Hart, of Coldwater, Radiography
- Klensly Hernandez, of Bronson, Dental Hygiene
- Brooke Hudson, of Coldwater, Radiography
- Annabelle Kling, of Coldwater, Nursing
- Janiah Marrero, of Coldwater, Nursing
- Kristin Marteen, of Coldwater, Physical Therapist Assistant
- Angelique Midkiff, of Coldwater, Nursing
- Hyam Mohamed, of Coldwater, Nursing
- Bethany Moore, of Coldwater, Nursing
- Kayla Mullineaux, of Union City, Nursing – Advanced Placement
- Megan Parks, of Coldwater, Practical Nursing (LPN)
- Cemara Paul, of Coldwater, Radiography
- Francisco Ramos Gonzalez, of Coldwater, Paramedic
- Brianna Reade, of Osseo, Nursing
- Cheyenne Sarles, of Tekonsha, Radiography
- Abigail Steele, of Coldwater, Physical Therapist Assistant
- William Taylor, of Bronson, Radiography
- Mariam Thabet, of Coldwater, Nursing
- Catherine Tirador-Alva, of Coldwater, Nursing, Paramedic
- Samantha Turner, of Quincy, Nursing
- Anne Ulysse, of Coldwater, Nursing
- Osvaldo Vargas, Bronson, Nursing
- Chelsea Wood, of Coldwater, Nursing
Eligible Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Jon Harpst Promise Scholarship recipients must either reside in Branch County or have graduated from a Branch County high school or home school. Each recipient receives between $500 and $2,000 for the 2026-27 academic year.
“We are incredibly proud to partner with the Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Foundation in supporting students who are working to build brighter futures for themselves and their communities,” said Michelle Williamson, executive director of the KCC Foundation. “Naming the Promise Scholarship in honor of Jon is a fitting tribute to the vision and persistence that helped make this program possible.”
“These scholarships represent more than financial assistance; they reflect an investment in the promise and potential of our students, especially those pursuing careers in fields that strengthen the well-being of our region. We are deeply grateful for Jon’s leadership and for the continued generosity of the Sunrise Rotary and all who contribute to making this opportunity possible,” Williamson said.
The Promise Scholarship is awarded to students pursuing careers in health care or the trades. The funding makes it possible for many students – such as Nursing student Nada Ahmed – to continue their education at Kellogg Community College.
“I’m so grateful for this scholarship,” Ahmed said. “It has made it possible for me to take more classes at KCC and go further in my education. Thank you.”
The scholarships are needs-based and the program is unique in that students may receive the award for multiple years. A majority of Promise Scholarship awards have supported nontraditional students pursuing degrees or certificates.
Applications will open to new applicants when the general KCC Foundation scholarship application period for 2027-28 opens on Dec. 1.
About the Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Jon Harpst Promise Scholarship
The Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Promise Scholarship was established with an initial three-year grant of $60,000 in 2019 and a four-year grant of $80,000 in 2022 from the Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Foundation. More than 200 scholarships have been awarded totaling almost $150,000 since the Sunrise Promise Scholarship Program was launched in 2019.
Funds for the Promise Scholarship have been secured thanks to generous gifts from the Thomas Bott Donor Advised Fund; the Hal and Lillian Creal Fund; the George and Kathie Babcoke Trust; Southern Michigan Bank & Trust; Century Bank and Trust; ProMedica Coldwater Regional Hospital; and Clemens Food Group; as well as support from members of the Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Club and its Foundation.
In early 2024, the Promise Endowment Fund that was created in 2019 to perpetually sustain the scholarship program surpassed $500,000 and continues to grow with the support of club members, the business community and private donations. That year, the Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Foundation Board expanded scholarship eligibility to students in mental and behavioral health fields and increased funding for the program from up to $20,000 per year to $25,000 per year. The 2026-27 academic year marks the first year the Promise Scholarship Program will be supported by distribution from the Promise Endowment.
For more information about the Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Jon Harpst Promise Scholarship Program, visit coldwatersunriserotary.com.
Pictured above is KCC’s Grahl Center campus in Coldwater.
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