Funding Dreams

Since its inception in 2012, the Patrick and Christie Scoggin Foundation Scholarship has transformed lives and opened doors for students with promise, drive and financial need. What began as a philanthropic initiative from local business owners has grown into a legacy of belief in young people — a scholarship program that has become deeply personal for both its recipients and its founder.

Lara Dhayni Nyenhuis remembers exactly how it felt when she received the scholarship in 2014. “I thought I was being pranked,” she says. “I read the letter five or six times before I believed it. But it was real and it was a beautiful gift. Not only did I receive the scholarship, but I gained a family.” The award, originally called the Huntington Ford Scholarship, provides a full-tuition, four-year renewable scholarship for undergraduate students at Oakland University.

The scholarship was created by Pat and Christie Scoggin to give back to the Rochester-area community that supported their family dealership. Each year, one student from Rochester, Rochester Adams, Stoney Creek or Avondale high school is awarded this full-tuition opportunity.

When the Scoggins sold the dealership in 2019, they continued the scholarship and it was renamed. After Pat passed away in 2020, Christie made the decision to carry on the award, honoring the commitment they made together. To date, 14 students have received the scholarship, including this year’s newest recipient, Owen Hamilton, who begins classes this fall. In total, the foundation has contributed more than $700,000 toward tuition.

But the Scoggin Scholarship is about more than money. “You not only have this scholarship,” Christie recalls Pat once saying to a scholar, “you now have a family.”
That sense of connection is what distinguishes the Scoggin Foundation. When Lara got married years after her graduation, she invited Christie. Though Christie couldn’t attend, she sent a heartfelt message and a generous gift. “She still made me feel like she was there,” Lara says. “Everything she does speaks volumes about her character.”

Christie has enjoyed long-standing relationships with many of the scholarship recipients and their families. Chandler Swink, the third recipient, tragically died from a peanut allergy. Years later, his sister Rachel received the scholarship. “When Rachel got it, it was very, very special,” Christie says. “Chandler and Rachel’s parents will always be dear to me.” Christie is also in regular contact with the Drabek family, whose daughter Allison graduated in 2023 with a nursing degree. “We’re still in touch and send each other regular updates and holiday cards,” she adds.

The scholarship has supported students in fields ranging from law and engineering to chemistry, art and education. The first recipient, Jacqueline Yee, is now a practicing attorney, who once worked on a case involving Huntington Ford. Another recipient, Eden Wiik, is an artist and member of the Grizz Band who took time to mentor a new scholarship recipient. “Why don’t you come to the gallery opening?” Eden asked a newer scholar. “I’ll show you around campus.”

While Christie does not select the recipients — Oakland University’s committee oversees that process — she reads their essays with great interest and makes a point of meeting each one. She attends award ceremonies and gatherings where scholars can bond and support each other. “It’s like an extended family,” she says.

“I was so impressed with Pat. He understood the power of education to transform the lives of young people. He recognized that enabling them to attend college without worrying about its affordability would allow them to focus on being outstanding students who would graduate as citizens who would then contribute mightily to society,” says Oakland University President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, M.D. “Christie has continued Pat’s legacy by engaging with every scholarship recipient. I have learned a great deal about the power of philanthropy from both Pat and Christie and have enormous respect, admiration and affection for them.”

The scholarship criteria are clear: demonstrated financial need, a minimum 3.3 GPA and a passion that shows in academics or extracurriculars. But Christie also understands that life can be unpredictable. Several recipients who temporarily fell below the GPA requirement were allowed to continue receiving support after explaining their challenges and reaffirming their commitment. “They came to us, they were honest and we gave them another chance,” Christie says. “And they came through.”

Christie’s passion for education continues well beyond the scholarship. She leads a preschool reading program in Detroit Head Start schools and runs summer camps for 4-year-olds and 5-year-olds. “You have to start young,” she says. “And you have to show kids that someone believes in them.”

Before he passed, Pat wrote letters to each of their four children. One of his most important pieces of advice: Give back. “The OU scholarships were his greatest giving back, I think. It was the one that really touched his heart the most, and I want to keep that legacy going,” Christie says.

Asked what she hopes for the students who benefit from the scholarship, Christie simply says, “I want them to find their dreams.”