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New college scholarship is brewing up north

Artist William Hosner created a portrait of barista Dan Campbell. Sold portraits contribute to a college scholarship fund for baristas.
Jennifer Guerra
Artist William Hosner created a portrait of barista Dan Campbell. Sold portraits contribute to a college scholarship fund for baristas.

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/national/local-national-923623.mp3

It costs a lot of money for Michigan students to go to college. Tuition is up at nearly every Michigan school, and the $4,000 once awarded to students under the state's Promise Scholarship has been cut. As a result, lots of students have to take out loans or work to pay for school.

Roast and Toast coffee shop in Petoskey looks like a lot of independent coffee shops: lots of local baked goods for sale, knick knacks on the wall, the obligatory obscure indie band crooning through the speakers, and what 60 year old William Hosner might call alternative-looking baristas behind the counter, with their "tattoos and piercings and hair color not found in human nature."

A stark contrast to Hosner's cropped white hair, pressed blue jeans and button down shirt. At first he didn't really know what to make of the baristas.

"I won't say I dismissed them, but I looked past them," explains Hosner.

Jennifer is a reporter for Michigan Radio's State of Opportunity project, which looks at kids from low-income families and what it takes to get them ahead. She previously covered arts and culture for the station, and was one of the lead reporters on the award-winning education series Rebuilding Detroit Schools. Prior to working at Michigan Radio, Jennifer lived in New York where she was a producer at WFUV, an NPR station in the Bronx.