ACC graduate receives Consumers Energy Foundation Scholarship
Brayden Bell, a 2017 graduate of Alpena Community College’s Utility Technician Program, was one of two recipients selected to receive a $2,500 Consumers Energy/Jeffrey Creel Memorial Scholarship. Bell used the scholarship to attend 10-week courses held at the Consumers Energy’s training center in Marshall.
Jeffrey Creel, a Consumers Energy electric line worker from Bronson, was struck and killed on June 22, 2012 by a passing vehicle while he was investigating a downed power line.
The scholarship was created to honor his memory and to support the next generation of line workers.
“This scholarship provides an opportunity for individuals to learn this essential trade, and we’re pleased that Jeff’s name and Consumers Energy are associated with it,” said Pat Dillon, president of the Michigan State Utility Workers Council.
The Consumers Energy Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Consumers Energy, provided the funding for the scholarships. Consumers Energy, Michigan’s largest utility, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy, providing natural gas and electricity to 6.7 million Michigan residents in 68 Lower Peninsula counties.
Bell said, “Becoming a lineman is a lifelong commitment to education, and I am overly excited to begin this new journey and build upon my education and new career.”
For more information about this scholarship, contact ACC Foundation Executive Director Penny Boldrey at 358-7297 or Utility Technician Program instructor Roy Smith at 358-7443.