Blog
Mike Zlonkevicz: Breaking the Cycle
DRDFS alumni Mike Zlonkevicz grew up in a room painted maize and blue in honor of the University of Michigan football team’s colors. As the first in his family to go to college, not only was a post-high-school academic path not a priority, it wasn’t even on his radar...
DRDFS and Scholarship America Awards Ten Students with a Trailblazer Scholarship Award
Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars (DRDFS), in partnership with Scholarship America, awarded Trailblazer Scholarships to ten deserving DRDFS college students. The scholarship is a $4,000 per year award renewable for four years or until a Bachelor’s Degree is...
Harold Dubrowsky: A Spark of Inspiration
For Harold Dubrowsky, longtime Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars (DRDFS) supporter and board member, finding out that he was the 2023 recipient of the organization’s Spark Award came as quite a surprise. The award is given annually to an individual who...
Erin Talbot: Passion into Purpose
Erin Talbot loves seeing students’ hard work come to fruition. As the Awards and Alumni Manager for DRDFS, Erin oversees the awarding of over $600,000 in scholarships to the graduating high school senior class each year. This year, she’s in charge of issuing...
Elijah Daniel: Energy and Opportunity
College wasn’t on Elijah Daniel’s personal radar screen in 2018. He certainly did not expect not only his collegiate future, but the entire trajectory of his life, to change, as well. But that is exactly what happened. DRDFS would help Elijah grow as an individual and...
Marketea Abbott: Giving back and paying it forward
Marketea Abbott wants to give back. As one of seven adopted siblings in a family of ten children, she is keenly aware of how fortunate and blessed she has been, benefitting not only from the care and attention of a loving and supportive family, but also from the...
Next Level Scholar, Kelvin Hasanaj featured in Fox 2 Graduation Story
As he prepared for his high school graduation, Next Level Scholar, Kelvin Hasanaj, spoke with Fox 2 News reporter, Ingrid Kelley, about the challenges he faced during his journey of moving to the United States in the 10th grade, learning English and now graduating...
Letter from the Executive Director – Spring 2022
Friends, Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars has so much to celebrate this spring! In March, we saw many of you at the 9th Annual Celebration Luncheon. Governor Whitmer joined us and recognized DRDFS’s efforts to help build a stronger community focused on education....
Spotlight on Madison High School
Madison High School (MHS) has been a partner school of Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars since 2015. It is one of our smaller partner high schools with enrollment of about 300 students. As a school of choice, over 40% of the population are students from...
Suited for Success Describes Our DRDFS Class of 2022
On May 4th, the Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars Class of 2022 gathered at Laurel Manor for Suited for Success, where the seniors announced their postsecondary plans. The evening began with a panel of three Next Level Scholars alumni who shared their paths to...
Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars is proud to partner with MCAN to work toward the shared goal of 60% college attainment by 2030.
Connect With Us
Contact Us
734-455-2849
Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars is proud to partner with MCAN to work toward the shared goal of 60% college attainment by 2030.
Connect With Us
Contact Us
734-455-2849Newsletter
Sign up to receive the latest news!


“I grew up without a clue of what I wanted to do, or where I wanted to go in life, until I had the opportunity to join Dollars for Scholars my sophomore year of high school. From visiting campuses, to SAT prep, the guidance I received from the program changed my entire outlook.
“From college tours to financial aid, Dollars for Scholars has greatly impacted my path to higher education. As a first generation college student, deciding where I would want to continue my education and figuring out how I would get there was a difficult process. My family and I lacked the time and transportation necessary to visit schools, and this limited me in figuring out my future.
“When joining Dollars for Scholars, I was eager to visit colleges and earn scholarship money. Being able to look at all the different schools with other students I could relate to was so reassuring. Dollars for Scholars was able to answer my questions about the ins & outs of post-secondary education, as well assist me with applications. This extra help was so motivating.
“Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars is a life-changing program. Before high school, I was going down a path that if most kids took, they’d end up either dropping out of school or going to jail. Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars helped inspire me to get on a better path by showing me how to prepare for college. Hearing other students’ stories made me feel like I could be successful both in high school and post-secondary education.