DEARBORN — Huntington Bank and The Arab American News will proudly announce the recipients of the first annual Future Leaders in Progress (F.L.I.P) scholarship program this June.

The program will award a total of $75,000 in college scholarships to 20 Dearborn and Dearborn Heights high school students, out of a faculty-selected pool.

Dozens of high school students from Dearborn Public Schools and Crestwood Public Schools were selected by their faculty for the program based on a set of criteria. Those students have till early May 6 to finish their applications, which includes a written essay.

Students had to have maintained a minimum GPA of 2.5, are enrolled full-time in 12th grade and in good standing attending Dearborn and Crestwood high schools, scheduled to graduate this spring, exemplify leadership, are actively engaged in their community through community service and must be attending college or university upon graduation.

The F.L.I.P Scholarship Program, in partnership with the Arab American News and its Publisher Osama Siblani, provides us with a great opportunity to help contribute to the future success of an outstanding group of Dearborn and Dearborn Heights high school graduates. — Huntington Bank Chairman Gary Torgow

The scholarships will range from $15,000 to $1,000. Scholarship recipients will be announced during an event on June 8.

Gary Torgow

“The F.L.I.P Scholarship Program, in partnership with the Arab American News and its Publisher Osama Siblani, provides us with a great opportunity to help contribute to the future success of an outstanding group of Dearborn and Dearborn Heights high school graduates,” said Huntington Bank Chairman Gary Torgow. “We deem it a great privilege and honor to assist in a small way to the hopeful future and great potential of these wonderful young people, the up-and-coming leaders of our next generation.”

Huntington recently merged with TCF Bank to become one of the largest banks operating in the U.S.

In discussions, Siblani and Torgow identified the evolving shape of education and educational needs in the Dearborn and Dearborn Heights communities, which has seen multiple generations of Arab Americans working towards ever-growing educational and professional success over the years.

The scholarship is designed to bolster this desire for education among new generations of a community rooted in an immigrant work ethic and drive.

“I would like to thank Mr. Gary Torgow for this initiative and Huntington Bank for this grant to provide scholarships to high school seniors in Dearborn and Crestwood public school districts to help advance their educational goals,” Siblani said. “I look forward to working with the bank to ensure this investment in our youth continues and succeeds. In return, I ask our community to reciprocate this generosity by patronizing Huntington Bank.”

Usually scholarships focus on the students who have the highest GPA or test scores and don’t take into consideration that life events impact student success… This scholarship takes that into consideration and allows for more students to have an opportunity to attain financial assistance. — Crestwood Superintendent Youssef Mosallam

Crestwood Superintendent Youssef Mosallam said the scholarship is instrumental to the success of his district’s children and innovative, in that it targets a wider range of students who can truly use financial assistance for their success in their post secondary education.

“We at the Crestwood School District are excited and honored to have the privilege to be part of the Huntington Bank and The Arab American News’ F.L.I.P scholarship,” Mosallam said. “Usually scholarships focus on the students who have the highest GPA or test scores and don’t take into consideration that life events impact student success.

“Those life events should not impact a student’s future. This scholarship takes that into consideration and allows for more students to have an opportunity to attain financial assistance for that post secondary education so that their future will not be stalled.”

“I want to thank The Arab American News and Huntington Bank for coordinating this program for our students in Dearborn,” Dearborn Superintendent Glenn Maleyko said. “Gary and Osama were the two who really came together to make this happen. We know the cost of college these days and so this is going to have a tremendous positive financial impact for students pursuing their post secondary education.”