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WMU Motivate Michigan proposal wins second place

May 28, 2010

KALAMAZOO--A proposal by two Western Michigan University students has captured second place in the statewide Motivate Michigan campaign.

The WMU proposal, titled the Financial Literacy Pilot Program by WMU students Jacob Berkey and Kylie Vasa, finished second, winning $12,000 in scholarship money. A proposal by students from the University of Michigan to put underwater power generation equipment throughout Michigan won the top prize and $20,000 in scholarship money.

Those two proposals were among five selected for presentation at a special event Monday, May 24. In addition to WMU and U-M, institutions represented in the final five included Wayne State University, Michigan Technological University and the University of Detroit Mercy.

The Motivate Michigan campaign invited students enrolled at Michigan colleges and universities to compete for scholarships and internships by submitting creative proposals to improve the Michigan economy. More than 300 ideas were received from virtually every university in the state and were pared down to 10 semifinalists. An online vote that attracted more than 5,000 participants produced the five finalists asked to make presentations to a panel of judges Monday.

Berkey, a junior majoring in marketing from Comstock Park, Mich., and Vasa, a senior majoring in finance from Rock Springs, Wyo., submitted their proposal, which calls for implementing a program to educate high school seniors in the practices of personal finance.

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Media contact: Mark Schwerin, (269) 387-8400, mark.schwerin@wmich.edu

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