USA Funds-Sponsored Scholarship to Help Indiana Man Complete Master’s Degree Work

An Indianapolis man who is pursuing a master’s degree after losing his job is getting help from a USA Funds^®-sponsored scholarship.

Michael Schrettenbrunner will receive a $1,500 scholarship through GRAD magazine. USA Funds is funding the scholarship as part of USA Funds’ sponsorship of the 2008-2009 edition of GRAD.

“This scholarship is great because, since I lost my job, I’ve not been employed full time,” Schrettenbrunner says. “Any resources are helpful as I head down the home stretch in the fall semester.”

Schrettenbrunner plans to complete his work toward a master’s degree in social work at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis in December.

He is among the Indiana college students who returned reply cards from GRAD to request additional information about college and careers in Indiana and to be included in the scholarship drawing.

Schrettenbrunner’s career has focused on social services work, but he’s especially interested in helping homeless men in Indianapolis get back on their feet. He plans to pursue work in that area when he receives his master’s degree, and is completing a practicum that allows him to assist the homeless. This summer Schrettenbrunner is participating in an internship at the Gennesaret Free Clinic, an organization located in downtown Indianapolis that provides health services to homeless men.

“I like helping homeless men get back with their families and be better fathers,” he says.

The 42-year-old also holds a master’s degree in sociology and a bachelor’s degree in human communications, both from Indiana State University.

GRAD is a publication of the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, Indiana Economic Development Corp. and IBJ Media Custom Publishing. The magazine focuses on graduate study opportunities, employment prospects and quality of life in Indiana. The magazine was distributed last fall to 85,000 juniors and seniors at Indiana colleges and universities.

In addition to providing financial support, USA Funds was a key source of information for GRAD’s financial aid and “Money” sections.

The 2008-2009 edition of GRAD is the sixth annual issue for which USA Funds was the corporate sponsor. USA Funds also has been corporate sponsor of  Next Indiana: A Guide to Life After High School for seven consecutive years. As part of its sponsorship of Next, USA Funds is providing a high school senior a $1,500 scholarship for use at an Indiana postsecondary institution.