$2000 Hutt Scholarship | Lake Michigan Credit Union

About the Lloyd F. Hutt Scholarship

Established in 1990, this scholarship program honors the legacy of Lloyd F. Hutt—teacher and founder of LMCU. Each year, we establish a prompt for high school seniors to write about in the form of an essay and award twenty (20) $2,000 scholarships. We are proud to have provided over $580,000 in scholarships to 332 deserving students over the years.

The entry period for the 2025 graduating class is open from October 1, 2024–January 8, 2025; essays submitted after 11:59pm on January 8, 2025 will not be accepted.

This year's essay topic is: What sort of legacy do you want to leave? What might that look like, and how will you live your life to make that legacy a reality?

For example, Lloyd F. Hutt, a teacher and the founder of Lake Michigan Credit Union, left a legacy of financial and community empowerment. He did this by helping fellow teachers through the hardships of the Great Depression, founding LMCU under the same belief that helping a person achieve financial success can have a ripple effect of positivity on the whole community.

We can't wait to read about your legacy! Before you submit, please read the Eligibility and Format tabs above to make sure your essay meets all criteria for consideration. If you'd like to read last year's winning essays, you can do so here.

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Who is eligible?

All applicants must be a resident of Michigan or Florida, or a member of Lake Michigan Credit Union (LMCU), or the child of an LMCU member (i.e. a student in Texas must be a member or child of a member to be eligible). The Lloyd F. Hutt Scholarship is not open to LMCU employees, directors, and officers or their immediate families, or to employees or immediate family of any of LMCU’s affiliated companies, licensees, advertising, or promotional agencies. Immediate family includes the following: spouse, child, father, mother, brother, sister, grandparent, step parents, step children, mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, grandchildren, and grandparents-in-law.

All applicants must be high school seniors, including home school students, and plan to enter a trade school, college, or university in the next academic year. Recipients must submit evidence of acceptance and enrollment in an accredited trade school, college, or university before payment will be made.

Format/guidelines

The scholarship committee's principal determining factor in selecting award recipients is the applicant's demonstrated passion for the topic. Additionally, the committee will use the following criteria in judging responses to the topic: comprehension of subject, organization, language use, originality, clarity, spelling, and grammar.

To ensure all essays are written entirely in the applicant's own words, each essay will be tested for plagiarized or AI-generated content. Please note that if these official format guidelines are not followed, your essay could be deemed ineligible and disqualified from scholarship consideration.

Do not include your name, school name, or any other identifying information in the essay
Length: 750–1500 words
Essay must be typed in an easy-to-read font (for example, Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Georgia)
Essay must be typed in black font on a white background
Essay must be double spaced
Essay must have a title
Essay must be saved as an Adobe Acrobat PDF (.pdf) file

How are winners selected?

Winners of the Lloyd F. Hutt Scholarship Award will be selected by an independent committee of area professionals appointed by the Board of Directors of Lake Michigan Credit Union.

All essays are submitted to the judges with no identifying marks or symbols so the name of the applicant and the school they attend are not visible.

To ensure all essays are written entirely in the applicant's own words, each essay will be tested for plagiarized or AI-generated content.

If you encounter any issues while submitting your application, please email us at [email protected].

School resources

Schools in LMCU's local communities receive a packet of information and resources to inform their students of the Lloyd F. Hutt scholarship program and to help them apply. If your school did not receive a packet and you would like more information for your students, please download the scholarship resources here.

If you would like to receive a school packet in the future, please email [email protected].

The amount of the award will be paid to the recipient and educational institution in which the student is enrolled. The award is intended to provide financial assistance to the recipient in their pursuit of an undergraduate degree at an accredited trade school, college, or university. The money is to be used for the student’s tuition, fees, books, supplies, and equipment. The awards are intended to constitute qualified scholarships, exempt from federal income tax under Section 117 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Use of the amount for purposes other than those previously noted may jeopardize exempt status. If a tax liability arises, it will be the sole responsibility of the recipient.

Lake Michigan Credit Union shall maintain records and administer and provide all necessary staffing for the Lloyd F. Hutt Scholarship Program (except for the scholarship committee). Lake Michigan Credit Union will provide the Board of Directors with a written report, detailing all awards.

Modification or elimination of program
Lake Michigan Credit Union reserves the right to modify or eliminate the Lloyd F. Hutt Scholarship Program at any time without notice. Not withstanding the foregoing, any award due and payable under the program prior to such modification or elimination shall continue to be payable according to the program’s terms in effect at the time Lake Michigan Credit Union made the grant. All entries shall become the property of Lake Michigan Credit Union.