Below is a video transcript of Jeff Mackey’s presentation of the Knights of Columbus 2026 Scholarships at the Brandon High School Honors Ceremony.
Good evening. My name is Jeff Mackey, and I am the Deputy Grand Knight of the local Council of the Knights of Columbus, based here in Ortonville at St. Anne Catholic Church.
Since 1882, the Knights of Columbus has empowered Catholic men to put their faith into action – building stronger families, stronger parishes and stronger communities.
Each year our Council puts together a committee to offer scholarships for graduating high-school seniors planning to attend higher education, whether that is at university, trade school, or the military.
Candidates are asked to fill out a short application, which asks about their grades and their extracurricular activities.
We also have them meet with us for a short 15-minute interview in order to get to know them and find out what their plans are for after high school.
I’ve been the Chair of our Scholarship Committee for 6 years now. And our small but mighty Council has been fortunate with fundraising and member donations to award thousands of dollars in scholarships each year.
Some years we had up to eight applicants, some not so much. Our applicant pool has stretched from Ortonville to Goodrich, to Waterford and Holly. But there’s no guarantee that just by applying will they receive a scholarship.
This year we had five applications, and I’m pleased to share with you that two winners are Brandon High School students. I’d like to invite onto the stage Stella Zielke and Sean Dudeck. [wait for them to get on stage]
Sean was accepted to Michigan State University, and will be studying Electrical Engineering in the fall.
Stella was accepted to the United States Naval Academy, and will be attending the Naval Academy Prep School in the fall.
Its our hope that the scholarship awarded to you both helps you with your goals and your continued success. Congratulations to Sean and Stella as this year’s Knights of Columbus Scholarship Award Recipients.