Wyandotte Senior Awarded $12,000 in Scholarships

"This skill has benefitted everything in my life." -- Spencer Genrich    

Senior and homecoming queen Spencer Genrich had no idea signing up for a television production class at Wyandotte Roosevelt High School would get her a $10,000 scholarship and an award from the Michigan Student Film and Video Festival.

Genrich said she'd never made a film in her life. She admitted to taking the class to spend more time with one of her favorite teachers, English teacher Janet Haddad.

As a reporter, managing editor and editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, Wy-News, Genrich had built a strong relationship with Haddad, who also taught journalism classes. 

Haddad named Genrich Journalist of the Year during her junior and senior years. An award normally reserved for seniors.

A novice in the television production side of journalism, Genrich caught on quickly. She and friend Carley Burgess won best of show at the student film festival with their first attempt at film making. The two made a documentary about bullying.

"I realized I can take this skill and do something with it to make people aware of different things, in a way that’s way differtnt than writing," Genrich said. "I have a different medium that I can have an impact with."    

Energized and dedicated to her new skills, Genrich created a public service announcement for a contest that encouraged students to explain the need to invest in higher education and the benefits of a plan created by Michigan 2020--to offer free college tuition to all students.

Genrich won a $10,000 scholarship with her video. Her video was selected among more than 30 others by a panel of high-ranking judges that included State Sen. Gretchen Whitmer.

Genrich visited the Capitol building in Lansing on Tuesday where she and the second and third place contest winners were honored by Whitmer and State Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood.

Other scholarships incude a $1,000 scholarship given to Genrich through the Outstanding High School Graduate Awards Program sponsored by The Detroit News and CATCH (Sparky Anderson's Charity for Children) and a $1,000 applied arts scholarship sponsored by Roosevelt High School.

Genrich plans to use all of the money to help pay for college tuition. She plans to begin the journalism program at Wayne State University in the fall.

Her dream is to write feature articles for a magazine somewhere in Michigan. She has no intention of leaving her beloved state.

Of all her accomplishments, Genrich looks most fondly on winning Journalist of the Year her junior year.

"That award has never been given to a junior, and I'm very proud of that," Genrich said.