Shannon Snideman is campus's first City Year Detroit Alumni Scholarship recipient

Shannon Snideman, a 2009 graduate of Walled Lake Northern High School, is UM-Dearborn's first City Year Detroit Alumni Scholarship recipient.

Snideman has enrolled in the University's integrated science program and will pursue a degree in education.

The scholarship and the integrated science program were the big draws for Snideman. "It's close to everything that's important to me," she said of UM-Dearborn. "My family is still close by and I am still close to Detroit where I can continue to do community service."

Chancellor Daniel Little, who serves as chair of the City Year Detroit Board, established the scholarship last year as a way to recognize students for their service and metropolitan impact.

The scholarship is a match scholarship, awarded during every academic year period. To be eligible, corps members must successfully complete the City Year Detroit program, pursue an undergraduate or graduate degree, meet the admission requirements to UM-Dearborn and enroll full-time with 12 or more credit hours.

Snideman hopes to use her stature as a City Year Detroit alum to continue to serve the local community while engaging and inspiring the campus community to make positive changes. "I hope to use the experiences and skills that I've learned to help some of the other student organizations grow," she said.

"City Year allowed me to take two years to do something constructive with my time," Snideman said. "Not only did I take part in a national service movement, but I got to learn a lot about who I am as a person. I am definitely ready to excel as a college student. And hopefully, very soon, I will go on to inspire other students to do well in school. I want them to learn to love science as much as I do!"