New Kobielus Memorial Scholarship to award UW-Madison scholarships to MHS Seniors

The Joan L. (Franz) & Walter G. Kobielus Memorial Scholarship, a new program that will award $2,500 scholarships to Merrill High School (MHS) Seniors attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is now accepting applications, with the first scholarships to be awarded at Senior Awards Night in 2027.
The program will award one to four scholarships annually in perpetuity and is funded by an initial $100,000 donation from Pamela Kobielus, daughter of the late Joan and Walter Kobielus.
“Mom and Dad lived and worked in Merrill ... raising a family of four children,” Kobielus said. “They recognized the value of pursuing a higher education as well as the difficulty associated with funding that expensive investment in their futures. Mom put herself through UW-Madison, earning a Master’s degree in Education and teaching in Merrill Area Public Schools, while Dad, who served in WWII, attended UW-Madison on the G.I. Bill, earning a degree needed as Registered Pharmacist for the former Rexall Drugs in Merrill. Attaining their education goals cannot have been easy for them, so I wanted to honor the sacrifices they made for their own children’s advanced educations, by helping others in the Merrill community achieve the same goal.”
Scholarships will go to MHS Seniors headed to UW-Madison who plan to major in either education/teaching, pharmacy, business, or journalism.
“We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of Pamela Kobielus and the creation of the Joan L. (Franz) & Walter G. Kobielus Memorial Scholarship,” said MHS Principal Trisha Detert. “This remarkable gift honors her parents’ legacy of perseverance, education, and service, while opening new doors for Merrill High School graduates. The opportunity for our students to pursue their education at UW-Madison with financial support will have a lasting impact on their futures. Scholarships like this not only ease the financial burden of higher education but also inspire our students to dream big and give back to their communities, just as the Kobielus family has done. We are deeply appreciative of this enduring commitment to the success of Merrill’s young people.”
MHS Seniors may apply online at bold.org/scholarships/joan-franz-and-walter-g-kobielus-memorial-scholarship any time on or before March 31, 2027. Detert will announce the awards at Senior Awards Night on May 19, 2027.