Courtney Qualley, a recent graduate of Kingsford High School, has received the Annexstad Family Foundation Hope and Inspiration Scholarship to attend Northern Michigan University. She is pictured with NMU President Fritz Erickson.

The Annexstads established the scholarship in 2014 to express their gratitude to a Kingsford-area native who has served as executive director of the foundation since its inception. In partnership with NMU and Kingsford High School, the foundation funds an annual award to qualifying graduates from the district who have been accepted in good standing by NMU, demonstrate financial need, have faced extraordinary challenges in their young lives and possess exceptional potential to become productive citizens and contributors to society.

Qualley will begin her freshman year at NMU in August.

“This scholarship will allow me to attend the college I desired without having to worry about the cost of it," she said. "I will be able to focus on my education and not on the financial part of college. This coming fall, my family will have three children in college and this scholarship is a huge blessing for all of us.

"I have been thinking a lot about what I want to major in. At the moment, I would like to do something with business and graphic design so I can have my own screen printing shop when I am out of college.”

Logan Galindo was the first recipient of the Annexstad Family Foundation Hope and Inspiration Scholarship. Working with NMU, the scholarship seeks to assist students in securing an undergraduate degree as free from debt as possible. The award is automatically renewed for eight consecutive semesters, provided students maintain their eligibility.