Congratulations to this years scholarship winners; Trevor VanSkiver, Keleigh Hoffer, Brooklynn Becker and Collin Hoffer. They will each be awarded $2500 for college expenses at a presentation in Ada later this summer. We are so proud of all our scholarship winners for pursuing their passions even after a devastating cancer diagnosis for themself or someone in their family.
Trevor is a 2023 graduate of Forest Hills Central High School. He is currently going into this sophomore year at Hope College pursuing a pre-med degree with an emphasis on dental.
Trevor was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at two years four months old. He fought for three years and three months of his life. During this time, the hospital was his second home, and he developed an interest in all things medical. He also grew a passion for helping others and giving back. He has a special interest in mission work. He loves to volunteer his time as a Young Life leader and at a free medical clinic in Holland.
Trevor loves adventure, travel, experiencing new things, teaching himself new hobbies and spending time with his girlfriend and family that include 3 younger brothers.
Keleigh Hoffer: A graduate of Forest Hills Northern High School and Northern Michigan University with a bachelor’s degree in sports science. She has been accepted to a doctoral program for physical therapy at Central Michigan University, pursuing her DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy). She has been on the National Honors Society, senior advisory board, captain of the varsity swim team, and consistently an honor roll student. Keleigh has volunteered with Rays of Hope for Haiti, and Kids Food Basket, helped with marathons and sporting events, done yard work for the elderly of Marquette County, and helped to run multiple bone marrow drives for Be the Match after her father’s leukemia diagnosis in 2019. While at NMU, she was a member of the GLIAC championship-winning varsity swim team. After seeing how devastating a cancer diagnosis can be on all members of a family, She hopes her career as a physical therapist, as well as my background in psychology, can allow me to do what I can to help people through such tough times.
Collin Hoffer. Collin is a 2023 graduate of Catholic Central High School. He attended Xavier University in his freshman year. Currently, he will be attending Calvin University pursuing a BSBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship. Collins’s father was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia when I was in 8th grade. Thanks to God’s saving grace, along with the immense care he received from such brilliant doctors, he is now in remission. During my time in high school, he played varsity hockey for three years and was honored with being the captain of his senior year. He was also on the CC Varsity golf team his senior year and was on the honor roll all four years. He has volunteered at many different non-profits across West Michigan but one stands out specifically. When his father was diagnosed, his family helped organize several Be The Match sign-ups where people could do a simple swab and send in their contact info to help save lives potentially. The glorification of this event was immediate when one of my cousins called my family, informing us that he would be donating his stem cells to a young boy who graduated from, Catholic Central in dire need. Then again a few years later, when my dad was in the hospital, in ICU, he got a call from another cousin with uplifting news that he too would be donating his stem cells. Both his cousins joined Be the Match due to the drives the Collins family set up in search of a donor for his father.
Brooklynn Becker graduated from Grandville High School in 2021 and in 2023 went on to earn her Associates degree from Grand Rapids Community College, where she was on the Dean’s List, as well as the President’s List. In her free time, Brooklynn enjoys singing, drawing, playing volleyball and spending time with friends and family. She was a member of the “Be NICE” and “Conservation and Culture” clubs all four years of high school and remains an active volunteer in her community. She currently mentors teens and young adults as a youth group leader through her church. Brooklynn will be starting her senior year at Calvin University this Fall, continuing her journey in the field of Psychology. She became interested in Psychology after seeing and experiencing the psychological toll a diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma brought on her and her family. Her father was diagnosed with this blood cancer in 2019 and she has also lost an aunt and an uncle to other forms of cancer. Through these experiences, Brooklynn has gained a great appreciation for the need of blood and bone marrow donation and continues to advocate and educate others on the importance of donation. With her degree in Psychology, Brooklynn will go on to help many others with their struggles in the future.