The Portage Health Foundation (PHF) Making a Difference Scholarship creates opportunities for undergraduate students who are residents of Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw, or Ontonagon counties to enter health science and engineering professions.
Award Value
The value of the PHF Making a Difference Scholarship is between $1,000 and $8,000 per year, renewable for up to four years (eight semesters) of study. For those PHF Scholars receiving both the $8,000 value and a Presidential Scholars Award, the value of their Presidential Scholars Award will be included as part of their $8,000 award. PHF Scholars will be priority applicants for a paid PHF Undergraduate Research Internship Program (URIP) through the Pavlis Honors College.
High school seniors or transfer students who are residents of Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw, or Ontonagon county who plan to have a career with a focus on improving human or community health.
- Complete the free online application for admission.
- Prepare a written response (about 300 words) that demonstrates how your academic goal relates to a health/medical career as you address one of the following questions:
- How have you played a role in being a catalyst of healthy change in our local community?
- What do you see yourself doing academically and professionally that would promote and improve the community health of our four counties (Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw, and Ontonagon) and/or the individuals who reside in them?
- Complete the Making a Difference Scholarship application by March 1.
Portage Health Foundation Making a Difference Scholarship recipients will be expected to:
- enroll at Michigan Tech in the fall following the scholarship award;
- remain in a health-focused area of study as determined by periodic progress reports and meet scholarship renewal criteria;
- serve as a mentor for future PHF scholars; and
- provide annual progress reports to the PHF Scholarship Committee.
- March 1: Making a Difference Scholarship applications are due by 11:59 p.m. (eastern time). You must also have an application for admission on file by this date.
- Mid-April: Award recipients are notified through email and the application portal.
The scholarship committee is interested in getting to know you. You will be evaluated on the content of your essay and the way the information is conveyed (be creative). Here are some tips as you prepare your application.
- We consider your GPA, the co-curricular activities you're involved in, and the level
of involvement in those activities
- Distinguish yourself from other applicants by focusing on one or
two co-curricular activities you have contributed greatly to and that highlight who you are as a person. Don’t worry about focusing on everything you have
done and been involved in—quality over quantity. Tell us your story.
- Distinguish yourself from other applicants by focusing on one or
- We're looking for applicants who have a passion to improve community or human health in our four counties (Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw, or Ontonagon), regardless of major
- Make your essay specific to Michigan Tech
- Review the Michigan Tech homepage or do a quick Google search to find professors/researchers who are doing work you are interested in. If you’re interested in cancer research, find someone at Tech who works within that scope and mention them and their work in your essay. Express how your story fits with Michigan Tech’s program.
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Ensure your essay is well written, free of errors, follows the instructions, and is submitted on time. Spelling and grammatical errors or poor writing are easy ways to disqualify an essay.
Recipients of the $1,000 - $2,000 award must remain enrolled in a program of study related to human health, maintain at least a 2.5 cumulative grade point average as of the end of each spring semester, and write a thank you note to the Foundation. All other recipients must meet the above renewal criteria and also complete the following:
- help to grow a Michigan Tech collegiate chapter of HOSA through active participation;
- complete an annual progress report to the Portage Health Foundation;
- volunteer ten hours of time in outreach programming or local events related to building a healthy community (academic departments help to facilitate these opportunities as do student organizations); and
- attend the PHF Making a Difference Scholarship dinner each year it is held and provide peer mentoring to the incoming cohort of PHF scholars.
For more information, contact scholarships@mtu.edu.