Fifteen high school graduates from Branch County have each received a $750 scholarship from the Branch County Association of Realtors.
The scholarships, awarded through the Cliffie Bowers Memorial Scholarship program, were given to students from Bronson, Coldwater, Quincy and Union City high schools, according to a community announcement.
The recipients were selected based on their academic achievements, community involvement and future goals.
“These students represent the next generation of leaders in our communities,” John Rakocy, president of the Branch County Association of Realtors, said in the announcement. “We are honored to support them as they take their next steps in education and beyond.”
The scholarship was established to honor the memory of Cliffie Bowers, a lifelong Coldwater resident, respected mortgage loan officer and community advocate who believed in the power of education and giving back.
The 2025 scholarship recipients are Boston Bucklin, MaKaylah Caudill, Kamryn Rinkel, Skyler Foley, Ryan Kemter, Maxwell Bigelow, Mason Hawthorne, Shahd Altashi, Ayden Dirschell, Nicholas Downs, Gennevieve Graham, McKinley Kirk, Dayne Knapp, Kazzier Lindblom and Briana Scialabba.
This story was created by Janis Reeser, jreeser@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at https://cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct/.
