Saint Louis High School senior Eduardo Memije-Ramirez received the Central Michigan University Multicultural Advancement Cofer Distinction Scholarship March 9.

The scholarship in question will grant Ramirez a full ride to CMU with the addition of 100% housing expenses paid in full. With aspirations of becoming a police officer, Ramirez will attend CMU for four years, despite the fact that law enforcement only requires two years of college education at most police departments. He will major in sociology and is on the fence about his minor, though he is considering psychology. As a Mexican American and bilingual student at SLHS, Ramirez felt very honored to receive this scholarship. 

“As a representative of the Hispanic community, it was a very big milestone. It’s not often a person from my community gets these awards, so it was a special moment for me,” shared Ramirez. This scholarship was created to specifically assist under-represented minorities at CMU. In order to receive the scholarship, Ramirez needed to first write two essays– one being the ways he will assist CMU in its goal to become a more open and diverse school for all students. After qualifying to move onto phase two, he was then tasked with creating a 15-minute presentation about possible plans to make all feel included, no matter their race.

“These scholarships are awarded to students who have demonstrated a commitment to academic achievement, community service, enhancing diversity, multiculturalism and inclusion,” according to Central Michigan University. “When I got the email about me receiving the award, I was thrilled. The first thing I did was call my mom and tell her about it. She started crying on the phone and was telling me how proud and happy she was.” Later, during dinner, Eddie would tell his father the same news. “He had tears in his eyes. He said he knew I was going to get it because of all of the effort I put into it.” Ramirez closed, “I, personally, was particularly happy that my family didn’t have to worry about me, especially financially.”