By Meg Peters
Review Co-Editor

Two outstanding students and employees of Lake Orion’s Culver’s are the happy recipients of $2,500 scholarships.

Lake Orion High School 2016 graduate Rilee Harris and Lake Orion resident and home school student Alexandra Simpson, won and are both using the funds to pursue their career dreams.
Simpson said her mother cried with happiness when she texted her.
“God is good. I’m going to be going to school in the fall. There’s always a concern about money, so this was definitely an answer to my prayers,” Simpson said.

She also didn’t expect that much money.

“I did not think it was going to be as much as it was for sure. But it was funny because my boss [Joe Zimmer] called and asked if he could give me my graduation present a little early,” she said.
Simpson will be attending Cedarville University near Dayton, Ohio this fall to pursue nursing.

For Simpson, a shift leader at Culvers, her employment has given her valuable people skills while teaching her how to be humble.

“[At Culvers] the hospitality comes first. We’re learning how to serve people and there can be a little dirty work but it was definitely a good experience for me,” she said. “And I made a lot of friends among the staff and people that came in. Joe is a really great guy to work for because he’s so friendly. He’s the reason why a lot of the people keep coming back.”
Joe, to her, was also a good example of how to be in charge.

“He was the Orion Chamber Business Person of the Year. I see why. He just knows how to deal with people and he’s not afraid to get down on his hands and knees,” she said.

LOHS graduate Harris will be headed to Central Michigan University to study health care administration. She has been working for Culvers for about three years and was recently promoted to shift leader.

“Working at Culvers helped me learn different skills on the management level. I want to go into administration, so it’s nice to learn how to be with a team and lead a team with my co-workers,” she said.

Harris is graduating with honors after earning the Lamp of Learning four years at LOHS. The Lamp of Learning Academic Awards Program recognizes students based on profound achievement with their work throughout the school year.

She was also the President of the DECA Club, an extracurricular activity focused on business and marketing, where she honed her business skills even more.
Zimmer found the same work ethic exhibited in Harris’ and Simpson’s school work at his restaurant.

“I’ll tell ya, Alex is extremely personable and does a great job on our drive through and Rilee is always smiling and has a great attitude. They are both great with our customer service,” he said.

Culvers of Lake Orion awards exemplary employees scholarships on an annual basis. Applications were due in April and Zimmer and his team selected the winners from a pool of applicants in early June.