Michigan teens eligible for $5K scholarship in fight against distracted driving

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Michigan high school juniors and seniors have the opportunity to win a college scholarship of up to $5,000 for taking a stand against distracted driving.

The scholarship, offered by Michigan Auto Law, is open to students from the graduating classes of 2023 and 2024 and can be used at any university, college or technical school in the United States.

Students can submit a tweet, graphic image, or YouTube video to apply for the scholarship, which is being offered in memory of Kelsey Raffaele. Raffaele was a young woman who died in a distracted driving crash in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, which led to the state passing legislation banning cell phone use for teens still on a graduated driver’s license.

Bonnie, Kelsey’s mother, played a significant role in pushing for Kelsey’s Law and will be involved in selecting the scholarship winners.

“We actually review them with Kelsey’s mom,” said Brandon Hewitt, with Michigan Auto Law. “So she helps make the decision as to the overall winner, which is really fantastic.”

Interested students have until the end of the month to apply, and winners will be announced in April.

More information on the scholarship can be found here.

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