The George and Harriet Korellis Scholarship provides opportunity for students

The George and Harriet Korellis Scholarship provides opportunity for students
By: Anekah Fish, Autum Meyers Last Updated: June 29, 2022

Gratitude and companionship were in the air at The George and Harriet Korellis Scholarship Award Dinner on Tuesday, June 28. The Korellis employees and their families may have gathered together to congratulate the recipients of this year’s scholarships, but in doing so they also gathered to celebrate a close-knit work family.

The George and Harriet Korellis Scholarship 2022

The George and Harriet Korellis Scholarship 2022 28 Photos
The George and Harriet Korellis Scholarship 2022The George and Harriet Korellis Scholarship 2022The George and Harriet Korellis Scholarship 2022The George and Harriet Korellis Scholarship 2022

The George and Harriet Korellis Scholarship was made by Pete Korellis, CEO of Korellis, and his wife in memory of his late parents. However, Korellis explained that it is because of the Korellis employees that this scholarship is even possible.

“When my parents passed away, there was some money through inheritance and we said, 'you know what, we want to put that to good use and put it toward a fund that will give scholarships to our employees because they're the ones.' They are truly the ones that have given us this opportunity to do these scholarships,” said Korellis.

Each year Korellis awards up to $40,000 in legacy scholarships to its employees and their families. The smallest award is $3000 and the largest is $5000. In the past five years, a total of $162,000 has been awarded to recipients, and Korellis is hopeful that the company will continue awarding scholarships for a very long time.

“We hope this is something that will last in perpetuity, and way after I'm gone,” said Korellis.

Scholarship recipient Marguerite Ponda explains that this scholarship award has allowed her to be more involved with the company and be proud of the work her father does at Korellis.

The scholarships do more than help employees’ families connect with the company, though. The scholarships also give back to the employees and their families. Korellis made sure that the GPA requirement for these scholarships was lower than the typical GPA required for most other awards to make it more accessible and give his employees and their families more opportunities to pursue any dreams they may have.

“Whatever their passion is. I certainly hope some stay in [the area] as we do really need that here in Northwest Indiana, but, it's really whatever they enjoy doing,” said Korellis.

For Ponda, the scholarship award allows her to focus more on getting the most out of her college experience.

“This scholarship has allowed me to experience college in a way that I never expected. I'm able to volunteer more of my time without worrying about tuition expenses and everything. I'm forever grateful for the scholarship, for sure,” said Ponda.

For Alexandria Gust, commercial administrator for Korellis and one of this year’s scholarship recipients, this award is a blessing. It allows her to pursue her longtime dream of getting a nursing degree, while simultaneously taking a huge amount of stress off her plate as a working mom.

“Right now I'm just trying to do it on my own one class at a time because I am a full-time employee, a full-time mom, and a part-time student. Right now it's general education courses as I go, and having this scholarship to help me out is one less burden I have to worry about with my busy life. It’s amazing,” said Gust.

Scholarship recipients, their family members, and employees alike were appreciative of the opportunities Korellis has given them and thankful to be a part of such a special moment for the company and its staff.

“I’m very grateful for the scholarship fund. Absolutely grateful,” said Gust.

To learn more about the exciting work Korellis does, please visit korellis.com.