Former Alpena High School Student Samantha Zolnierek Receives Golden Apple Scholarship

Academics in Alpena can be quite competitive, and we have a Golden Apple Scholar right here in our own backyard. With the new school year drawing near, we can all find some inspiration from our youth in academics. “So, the Golden Apple Scholarship is a teaching prep scholarship. So, I got inducted and I went through an application process to just, kind of, tell them why I want to be a teacher and what I want to accomplish. They offer me scholar institutes and helpful camps throughout my five years as a scholar that will help me become the best teacher possible. Then they’ll also offer me financial support for college,” Golden Apple Scholarship Recipient Samantha Zolnierek said.

Samantha’s story tells the powerful impact that our teachers have on children every day. “I want to be a teacher because in second grade I had a teacher named Mrs. Chrzan that really inspired me and just like, showed me what a teacher can do for a student. She really had some fun games and just got us involved in our learning instead of just having us sit there and listen. She got us doing hands on and applying what we learned in class,” said Zolnierek. This is an achievement the entire community can celebrate. “I graduated Alpena High School this year and I will be heading to Northern Michigan this fall to study elementary education. In high school, I participated in The Teacher Academy program that was taught by Mrs. Gehrke. So that kind of helped me find my passion in teaching, added Zolnierek. The Golden Apple Scholarship provides a full ten years of assistance and mentorship to future educators in Michigan. “So, it’s a five-year program, I’ll graduate and then I’ll go to another scholar institute, as they call it. And then after that, I will teach in the state of Michigan for five years,” Zolnierek said. Samantha hopes to teach lower elementary students, and she loves to watch them grow and help them develop. “I would say never give up on your dreams. Don’t settle for anything less than you deserve and just go for it,” said Zolnierek.