Corvias and Wayne State University Announce Scholarship Recipients

October 15, 2025 at 11:00 AM EDT

$1M Endowment Supports 80 Students on Their Academic Journey

Corvias and Wayne State University (WSU) are proud to recognize Jaafar Aljeraiw and Lee Bonnette as recipients of its annual Wayne State Corvias Endowed Scholarship Award for 2025-2026. Both students will receive $12,500 to apply toward their undergraduate education. Aljeraiw, Bonnette, and Nevaeh Rogan, who was a 2024-2025 award recipient, were recognized at a dedicated on-campus luncheon bringing together leaders from Corvias and WSU.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251015972964/en/

From left to right: Darryl Gardner, Vice Provost for Student Success, Support, and Engagement, WSU; Ned Staebler, Vice President for Economic Development and President/CEO of TechTown; Patricia Romer, Associate Vice President, Student Auxiliary Services and Chief Housing Officer, WSU; Lee Bonnette, scholarship recipient; Jaafar Aljeraiw, scholarship recipient; Thelma Edgell, President Higher Education, Corvias: Karen Caprella, VP Property Operations, Corvias; Brandi Rami, RVP Property Operations, Corvias; Ambera Brown, VP Partner Solutions, Corvias; Ann Winkelmann, Commercial & Residential Property Director, Corvias

Established in 2018 to support educational attainment while lessening the financial burden, the program is part of a ten-year, $1 million commitment from Corvias, a leader in creating and maintaining communities for its partners in the higher education and military sectors. During the partnership, an estimated 80 students will receive a scholarship.

“We appreciate our partnership with Corvias and their continued investment in our students’ success,” said Dr. Laurie M. Lauzon Clabo, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Wayne State University. “Students who choose to live on Wayne State’s vibrant, urban campus take full advantage of all the opportunities and resources available to them at the university and throughout Detroit. We are so excited for Nevaeh, Jaafar, Lee and all Corvias scholarship recipients who call our campus home.”

Recipients may apply the scholarship award to tuition, fees, and room and board for on-campus housing. They also have access to networking, mentoring and other support services. To be eligible, they must enroll full-time, reside in on-campus housing, demonstrate financial need, and achieve and maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA.

“In keeping with our commitment to delivering value to our partners and enhancing the quality of life for our residents, we are honored to invest in the academic journeys and communities in which our student residents thrive,” said Corvias Higher Education President, Thelma Edgell.

More than 2,700 undergraduate students call Wayne State home, including about one-third of first-year students.

Scholarship recipient Lee Bonnette, a first-year student from Bay City majoring in music technology, was eager to live on campus so that he could fully engage with opportunities at the university and in the city. As a resident of Wayne State's historic Thompson Home, Lee has access to specialized spaces designed with creative students in mind and lives with other students participating in the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts’ Living Learning Community.

“This scholarship lets me focus on my studies and not worry about how I’ll pay for housing,” Bonnette said. “Staying in Wayne State housing is a great experience and it's awesome to be living right in Detroit.”

Together with its partners, Corvias strives to enhance the quality of life for its residents, allowing them to grow and thrive. As a full-service housing provider who reinvests in its communities, Corvias has one of the largest on-campus higher education portfolios in the U.S., serving nearly 20,000 students and providing services for 15 colleges and universities. Learn more about Corvias’ work in higher education here.

About Corvias

Corvias partners with the Department of Defense and higher education institutions to solve infrastructure and energy resiliency challenges and to create long-term, sustainable value through our unique Solutions Through Partnerships® approach. Corvias partnerships enhance the well-being in our communities, including at the largest renewable energy project in Kansas and at resiliency projects nationwide. Our more than 72,000 residents consistently highly rank the courtesy and professionalism of our maintenance and leasing personnel. To learn more, please visit: www.corvias.com.

About Wayne State

Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution offering approximately 375 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 24,000 students.