JACKSON, Mich — A Jackson family is keeping their daughter's memory alive by helping other women pursue careers in STEM.
- The Amanda Mierzwa Memorial Scholarship has supported 90 women from Jackson County pursuing STEM degrees at the University of Michigan since 2017.
- Recipients say the scholarship creates a supportive community of women in STEM fields from Jackson County.
- The scholarship honors Amanda Mierzwa, who worked in neuroscience before passing away from breast cancer in 2015.
Amanda Mierzwa died in 2015 after a battle with breast cancer, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire young women in Jackson County.
WATCH: Jackson family honors daughter's memory through STEM scholarship
After Amanda's death, her parents, Terry and Sue Mierzwa, wanted to find a meaningful way to preserve her memory and the impact she had as a woman in science. "After Amanda passed, of course, we went through a lot of despair, and we were trying to think 'What can we do to keep her name alive, her legacy alive,'" Terry Mierzwa said.
Amanda was not only a beloved daughter and mother, but also pursued a career in neuroscience. To honor her memory and support other women following similar paths, her parents established a scholarship in her name. "With this scholarship, of course, there's a financial award, but we really like it to be more than that. We've really created a community of young women from Jackson County," Mierzwa said.
Since 2017, the scholarship has been awarded to 90 women from Jackson County who are pursuing careers in STEM at the University of Michigan, just like Amanda did. Kayla Johnson, one of the scholarship recipients, expressed her gratitude for the opportunity. "For them to give back and also honor their daughter in the process, I feel very blessed. In addition to earning it with other women in the STEM field and being a part of that legacy is just awesome," Johnson said.
WATCH: Hear more from the scholarship recipients about the relationships they've built through the scholarship program:
The scholarship not only helps ease financial burdens but also builds a community among young women from Jackson. Ella Stage, another scholarship recipient pursuing a degree in environmental health sciences, values the connections she's made through the program. "It's so important to uplift women in STEM, especially from Jackson. So it's been really fun and rewarding to get to connect with everyone in that way," Stage said.
Terry explained that he and his wife spend time getting to know each scholarship recipient through tailgates and dinners. "It's just humbling how outstanding these young women are. I mean, they all have great grades, but they're all just good people," Mierzwa said.
For the Mierzwas, the scholarship represents both creating opportunities for young women in Jackson and continuing their daughter's legacy. When asked if Amanda would be proud of these young women, Terry responded, "All the time. Would be super proud of that, we tell them that."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
