First Recipients of Annual Eric Ryan Corporation Employee Scholarship Named

Cassie Widmaier and Mia DeCaria are the first recipients of the annual Eric Ryan Corporation Employee Scholarship.

“The future of our youth is important to the staff at Eric Ryan Corporation and to me,” said ERC CEO Keith Venezie. “I am pleased to be able to help assist students with their career goals. A solid college education is a huge step toward achieving those goals, and I look forward to seeing how it will impact their success and our community.”

Eric Ryan Corporation developed this scholarship award for the children of ERC employees. The $500 scholarship was open to any employee who has been employed by the Eric Ryan Corporation for a minimum of one year, and who had a child graduating from high school in 2019. The student had to be accepted into, with plans to attend, a school to obtain either an Associate’s Degree, Bachelor’s Degree, or a Vocational or Professional Development Certification.

They also were required to submit an essay of at least 500 words discussing

• Why he/she chose to attend the school
• What his/her major will be and why it was chosen
• What, who (if anything) inspired him/her to attend this school and/or choose this particular field of study

Cassie and Mia are the daughters of ERC employees Tiffannie Widmaier and Mary DeCaria.

Cassie will attend Eastern Michigan in the fall and plans to major in arts and entertainment management. She plans to use her degree to become an event planner for a non-profit organization.

“I have always had a passion for children, especially children considered at risk,” Cassie said. “I would like to use my skills in event planning to organize fundraisers and events for non-profit organizations that work to create a better life for at risk kids. I desire to reach children in the juvenile system or foster care because I believe they deserve a second chance to succeed in life.”

Her dream is to one day open a center where at-risk kids can attend after school to receive life-changing guidance, tutoring, mentoring, and simple care like games and snacks.

Mia will attend Kent State University in the fall to major in psychology. Her choice in major was inspired by her four-year-old nephew, who suffered a seizure at the age of one. This traumatic experience led to further investigation and diagnosis of epilepsy.

“Even though he does not live a typical life, he is so full of joy and happiness,” Mia said. “He gave me a deeper comprehension of compassion and understanding. He has also inspired me to discover what I want to do with my life. I want to work as a clinical psychologist to help people that are going through hard times understand their worth and know that things do get better. My path in furthering my education has been inspired by a four-year-old and he will always be my inspiration to do good.”

Mia plans to pursue her education to the highest level.

“After my years at Kent I plan to continue my education until I have achieved my PhD in psychology,” she said. “I want to use my abilities to help as many people as I can.”