Angels Camp, CA…The Calaveras County Office of Education (CCOE) STEAM Advisory Council is proud to announce the winners of the inaugural Michelson STEAM Scholarship, awarded for the first time to five 2026 graduating seniors from three Calaveras County high schools. The newly established scholarship recognizes students who demonstrate exceptional passion and promise in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM).

Scholarship presentation at Libertas Academy to Eli Thullen (middle)
Left- CCOE Coordinator of Communications and Student Events Debbie Strand
Right – CCOE STEAM Advisory Council Member and Scholarship Mentor Stephen Archer

Mentor meeting for Bret Harte Graduate Boek DePonte (left) with his mentor
Melissa Anisko (right), CCOE STEAM Advisory Council Member and
Columbia College Mathematics Faculty.

The CCOE STEAM Advisory Council has focused its work over the past few years on the vital goal of bridging gaps in support for rural students in these critical fields. By tapping into the local roots of Albert A. Michelson, who lived in Murphys as a boy and became the first American to win the Nobel Prize in Physics, the Council aims to provide a source of inspiration to help local students pursue higher education beyond what they might otherwise achieve.

To qualify for this competitive award, applicants had to meet strict standards, including maintaining a minimum 3.75 GPA, providing reference letters, and writing an essay describing a project that inspired their interest in a STEAM field. The program relies on a strong partnership with the Calaveras Community Foundation (CCF), which holds the program funds, screens the applications, and disperses the awards. After CCF completed its initial screening, the STEAM Advisory Council evaluated the top five candidates. Impressed by the sheer merit of all the finalists, the council made the decision to award each of the five finalists a total of $1,000 each, distributed as $500 per year over two years. To maintain eligibility, recipients must show continued higher education enrollment and complete their required mentor meetings.

What makes the Michelson STEAM Scholarship truly unique is its embedded mentorship component, which pairs each recipient with a professional mentor from the STEAM Advisory Council to provide guidance, encouragement, and real-world perspective. Recipients will meet with their mentors at least twice a year, at the beginning and end of their first two years after high school graduation, to ensure they have a strong network of support as they transition into higher education.

Presentations were made across the county this past graduation season to celebrate the five inaugural recipients. At Bret Harte High School, scholarships were awarded to Brayden Bowersox, Ayla Jodie, and Boek DePonte. Eli Thullen, at Libertas Academy, and Declan Huff at Calaveras High School also received the scholarship. The CCOE STEAM Advisory Council is honored to support these five exceptional young thinkers, creators, and problem-solvers as they embark on their educational journeys.

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