Spherion Opens Applications for Third Annual Sandy Mazur Scholarship

With the Sandy Mazur scholarship, Spherion aims to contribute to those seeking higher education who demonstrate the qualities that Mazur embodied each day. Her unwavering passion to make a difference in the lives of others has served as an example to the hundreds of local Spherion offices nationwide, inspiring them to contribute funds to the scholarship in her name. The application is open to anyone seeking secondary education, including college, technical or skilled training programs.

In order to qualify, applicants must hold a GPA of 2.5 or above, be pursuing a continuing education program, and must reside in a county with a Spherion office. Financial need of the applicant will also be considered.

“The caliber of last year’s applicants absolutely blew us away, as did their unique and inspiring stories,” said Mazur. “Seeing how these individuals have adapted and overcome in the face of a global pandemic and continued to actively aid their communities is something we should always celebrate. It’s a privilege to be able to help them pursue their academic and career goals through the scholarship.

In 2020, the recipients chosen were Caleb Qiu and Lovenya Perry for their demonstration of leadership and excellence. Qiu is a tech wiz who taught middle schoolers mechanical, coding, and physics skills in a volunteer position alongside leading weekly STEM workshops aiding students in underserved communities. Additionally, he developed an app called CrossPaths to provide COVID-19 exposure notifications and is now utilizing the scholarship funds to pursue a Computer Science degree at the University of Michigan.

With more than 5,000 hours of community service during her high school years, Perry played an integral part in supporting both the Girl Scouts and Future Business Leaders of America organizations in her community. After inspiring many others with her service, she now attends Millikin University studying Biology.

The Spherion Franchise Community, led by Michael Chalmers and Beth DeLaney, coordinated the online application with nonprofit The Richland County Foundation, which disburses grants for charitable organizations. The application will ask entrants to share examples of their community service and how they “pay it forward” in their lives. With names and locations removed, the Franchise Community will review the applicants and select the winner based on merit.