Six Kalamazoo County high school students seeking to major in STEM-related fields will attend Kalamazoo College in the 2025-26 academic year as Heyl scholars.
The Heyl Scholarship Fund was established in 1971 through the will of Dr. Frederick Heyl and Mrs. Elsie Heyl. Frederick Heyl was the first chemist at The Upjohn Company, later becoming a vice president and the company’s first director of research. When he retired in 1945, he had contributed scientifically to about 80 research papers and patents while also teaching chemistry at Kalamazoo College. He maintained a lifelong passion for science and education and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from K in 1937.
Since then, Heyl scholarships have enabled hundreds of high school graduates from Kalamazoo County to attend Kalamazoo College for STEM-focused majors or Western Michigan University for nursing, with renewable benefits for up to four years that cover tuition, fees, housing and a book allowance.
This year’s K recipients of the scholarships and their high schools are:
- Methmi Amaratunga, Portage Central and the Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center (KAMSC)
- Stephanie Castillo, Kalamazoo Central
- Eiden Jonaitis, Loy Norrix and KAMSC
- Dewen Luo-Li, Portage Central and KAMSC
- Gwendolyn MacEwen, Portage Central and KAMSC
- Kaljona Thanmanavar, Kalamazoo Central and KAMSC
Two additional Heyl scholars—Fiona Braun of Loy Norrix and Margaret Winter of Parchment and KAMSC—will attend the Western Michigan University Bronson School of Nursing.