May 22, 2020
Oakland University’s Ciara Bazinski was one of six students selected to receive a 2020 Memorial Scholarship awarded by the Michigan Safety Conference, a volunteer organization dedicated to promoting the improvement of workplace safety and health practices in the State of Michigan.
“I am so thankful that I was one of the students chosen to receive a 2020 Michigan Safety Conference Scholarship,” Bazinski said. “I am so honored to be a part of the safety field and continue on with my goals with the help of the Michigan Safety Conference.”
The scholarship is for $3,500.
Selection criteria for the award included academic performance, letters of recommendation, community service, demonstration of personal and professional ethics, description of post-graduation plans, and essay response to an occupational and environmental health and safety workplace scenario.
Baziniski, a native of Southeast Michigan, is scheduled to graduate from Oakland University with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) and a minor in biology.
“This scholarship was extremely important to me,” Bazinski said. “It will allow me to begin working toward payment of my student loans and allow me to focus on life after graduation. I am extremely thankful for the Michigan Safety Conference and the OU EHS program for allowing me to be my best self and every opportunity they have given me.”
During her time as a student in OU’s School of Health Sciences, Bazinski has been extremely involved in EHS activities, both on and off campus. This past year, she served as vice president of OU’s American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) student section. Bazinski also chaired a new mentor program, which focuses on pairing EHS students with safety professionals in the region.
In addition, Bazinski represented ASSP at the university’s Human Health Day, and also presented at the EHS program’s 40th anniversary celebration held in October 2019. She attended the ASSP Future Safety Leader Conference in 2018 and 2019, and the National Safety Conference as a scholarship recipient in September 2019.
“OU’s School of Health Sciences has truly shaped me into the person that I am today,” Bazinski said. “I am grateful for the course-based and experiential learning opportunities the EHS program has provided, and the incredible support I have received from faculty and staff.”
Currently employed at Walbridge, a Detroit-based construction company, Bazinski works on construction safety for Ford Motor Company plant improvements as a safety coordinator. She hopes to earn a Master in Business Administration in the future.