Foundation: In Her Honor

Foundation: In Her Honor

Spring 2020

| By: Britten, Casey

Scholarship grows in memory of Mackenzie Leeman.

An outpouring of support in loving memory of Mackenzie Leeman will never erase her tragic car accident; yet a scholarship in the former Appleton East High School student’s name brings some comfort and hope.

The Mackenzie Jo Leeman Memorial Nursing Scholarship was established within the Fox Valley Technical College Foundation shortly after the 17-year-old’s car slid off a Highway 441 overpass near Little Chute during a snowstorm in February 2019. Her family immediately initiated the fund in spirit of Mackenzie’s love for taking care of others.

Mackenzie had completed the Certified Nursing Assistant program at FVTC while in high school and was enrolled in the Associate Degree Nursing program at the time of her death. “We hope to give other students an opportunity to earn the degree that Kenzie could not,” says Alyson Peters, Mackenzie’s mother. “The scholarship gives future generations a chance at success, and it keeps Kenzie’s memory alive.”

The community has responded by donating thousands of dollars to a legacy scholarship in honor of Mackenzie, noted Julie Coenen of the FVTC Foundation. "The endowed scholarship will grow in perpetuity, changing many lives in years to come,” she adds.

To donate toward Mackenzie's legacy or other scholarships, visit www.fvtc.edu/Donate.


The FVTC Foundation awarded 1,183 scholarships totaling more than $822,000 last year.