Junge Family Endowed Engineering Scholarship provides opportunity for Jalen Rose Leadership Academy students at UM-Dearborn

Jalen Rose (back row, fifth from left) and John Junge (sixth from left) toured the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy with University of Michigan-Dearborn and JRLA administrators and students Monday, May 12. Later that afternoon, Junge announced the Junge Family Endowed Engineering Scholarship, which will cover the costs for two JRLA students to study engineering at the university.

Graduates of the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy (JRLA), interested in studying engineering, will be eligible to receive a full scholarship to University of Michigan-Dearborn because of the generosity of a UM-Dearborn alumnus. The Junge Family Endowed Engineering Scholarship, funded by UM-Dearborn alumnus John Junge, will cover the costs for two JRLA students to study engineering at the university. The first scholarship recipient will enroll at UM-Dearborn in fall 2015, with a second in fall 2016.

“I am inspired by the commitment that Jalen Rose has shown to his community with the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy,” said Junge, a 1964 engineering alumnus of the university and retired owner of Champions of the West, a private holding company for All Star International. “The journey that I had at UM-Dearborn, making life-long friends, while experiencing hands-on learning through coop positions and a great education, helped position me for a successful career. I look forward to JRLA students having a similar experience.”

JRLA, located on the northwest side of Detroit, is an open enrollment, public charter high school that strives for 85 percent high school graduation, 85 percent college enrollment and 85 percent college graduation.

“JRLA provides a private school education in a public school setting; college scholarships are paramount to the success of us achieving our mission,” Rose said. “Mr. Junge’s endowment will leave a legacy at the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy and provide an opportunity for some of our students to not only study engineering at UM-Dearborn, but allow them to do so without having to worry about how they are going to pay for their secondary education.”

The university will also begin a collaborative partnership with JRLA, aimed at introducing students to and stimulating interest in engineering fields. Students, faculty and staff from the College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) at UM-Dearborn will implement a series of outreach activities to collaborate, mentor and build relationships with JRLA students, parents and staff. The university will also assist with educating JRLA students and parents on the process to apply for financial aid and scholarships.

“We are actively involved in outreach activities throughout the region to introduce students in K-12 systems to engineering. For some, this is the only access to engineering they have,” said Tony England, Dean, CECS. “Through programs like this, UM-Dearborn alumni, like John Junge, make it possible for young people, specifically engineers, to pursue their hopes and dreams.”