LAFCU, a Michigan credit union that’s been doing this for nearly two decades now, just handed out $20,000 in scholarships through its Write to Educate Essay Contest. Four sharp high school seniors each scored $5,000 for college, plus the contest triggered an additional $2,000 in donations to charities the winners picked themselves. Not a bad deal for putting pen to paper.
The 2026 winners are Drew Coleman from Western Michigan Christian High School, Sebastian Madlangbayan from Forest Hills Northern, Lauren Richey from Haslett High School, and Matthew Wang from East Lansing High School. Each tackled the same prompt: identify a real problem in your community and explain how you’d fix it.
Why This Contest Matters
This marks the 18th year of the program, and the numbers tell a compelling story. LAFCU has now dropped more than $140,000 helping over 40 Michigan students pay for college while supporting causes they care about. That’s the kind of consistency that actually moves the needle.
“This contest encourages students to think critically about the issues impacting their communities and empowers them to become part of the solution,” said Alyssa Troub, LAFCU’s digital marketing and community engagement specialist. “Each year, we’re inspired by the compassion, creativity and leadership reflected in these essays. Supporting students while also giving back to charities they care about allows the contest to create a meaningful impact far beyond the classroom.”
What These Students Actually Wrote About
Here’s what caught the judges’ attention this year:
Drew Coleman (Western Michigan Christian High School, Norton Shores)
Drew focused on something we should probably talk about more: diversity in education. His essay explored how intentional recruitment and outreach could help students see themselves reflected in their teachers. He’s heading to Central Michigan University and chose the HBCU Club of Muskegon as his charity.
Sebastian Madlangbayan (Forest Hills Northern High School, Grand Rapids)
Sebastian went after “greenwashing” in the health and wellness space—you know, when companies slap leaves on everything and call it healthy. His solution involved a clean hydration startup built on transparency and actual education. He’s off to the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and picked Kids’ Food Basket for his charity donation.
Lauren Richey (Haslett High School, Haslett)
Lauren tackled food insecurity through awareness campaigns, school drives, and a community garden partnership. “Being selected as a recipient of the Write to Educate Scholarship is truly an honor,” she said. “This scholarship will help me focus on my educational and future goals while continuing to raise awareness about food insecurity in our communities.” She’s heading to Grand Valley State University and chose the Okemos Community Food Pantry.
Matthew Wang (East Lansing High School, East Lansing)
Matthew also zeroed in on food insecurity, proposing year-round school food drives and an on-campus pantry for students and families who need it. He’s staying local at Michigan State University and selected the Greater Lansing Food Bank as his charity.
How to Get In On This
The contest is open to all Michigan high school seniors, and you don’t need to be a LAFCU member to enter. There is one catch though—scholarship winners need to attend a Michigan college or university to claim their award. The next round is expected to kick off in winter 2027.
You can read the full winning essays in the Lansing State Journal or check them out at lafcu.com/writetoeducate. Worth a read if you want to see what thoughtful, actionable problem-solving looks like from the next generation.