The ninth annual Shelving.com Business Scholarship contest winners are live! This year, the scholarship was limited to Michigan residents. Founded in Detroit and now located in Madison Heights, Shelving.com is honored to give back to the students of its community. The selected recipients all exhibited outstanding determination to utilize their degree to make a positive difference in their community. 

The first place scholarship of $3,000 went to Norman Hurns from Southfield and the second place scholarship of $2,000 went to Nazneen Masood from Canton. The third place recipient came to a tie due to the exceptional quality of both applicants—Nolan Smith from Lowell and Caterina Intorre from Macomb each received $1,000 for the second runner-up spot. 

The scholarship was open to students majoring in business or a business-related field of study. Applicants were required to have a minimum 2.8 cumulative GPA and submit a copy of their transcript, resume, and an essay that detailed how they are currently using—or planning to use— their business-related field of study to serve their community.

As a family-owned business, Shelving.com recognizes the importance of preparing America’s youth for the future and aims to do their part in assisting students during their academic journey. 

Continue reading for a recap on the 2023 Business Scholarship recipients.

Norman Hurns | Southfield, Michigan

Currently pursuing a degree in supply chain management, Norman plans to apply his knowledge towards helping reduce homelessness in Detroit. He would start by collaborating with local housing authorities and non-profit organizations to streamline the supply chain for affordable housing materials. In addition, he plans to help create employment opportunities for homeless individuals in the area by establishing a supply chain training program. Norman can also leverage his knowledge in logistics to improve the efficiency of social services delivery. Understanding homelessness is a multifaceted issue, he would like to make the services more effective and accessible—creating true positive impact on the members of his community. 

Nazneen Masood | Canton, Michigan

As a sophomore in high school, Nazneen started her own business called The Sweetery. Offering baked goods, customers had an opportunity to donate the profits from their transaction to either a local soup kitchen, local clinic, or international non-governmental organization helping refugees and internally-displaced individuals due to conflicts. Running this successful minority-owned business and assisting those in need provided a sense of accomplishment and inspired her choice to earn a degree in business. Nazneen would like to learn the necessary business skills to leverage either her own small business or an existing one in order to continue making an impact on the local community. She appreciates companies like Shelving.com who have embraced corporate social responsibility, as it is needed now more than ever.

Nolan Smith | Lowell, Michigan

Currently pursuing a degree in economics, Nolan feels there is presently a need for an appreciation and understanding of the state of our society, and blames a lack of fundamental economics in high school curricula. He states that it’s important to not only understand the principles of the market system—supply, demand, etc.—but also the fundamentals of the nature of human action that underlie the study of human beings. Nolan would like to make a positive impact on his community using his education in a meaningful way—establishing an annual summer seminar on free markets and classical liberalism for high schoolers at Lowell Senior High School, his hometown school. He plans to invite leading thinkers in classical liberal thought from Michigan universities to host lectures and engaging workshops that offer exposure to ideas that are so vital to our lives. 

Caterina Intorre | Macomb, Michigan

Caterina developed a passion for marketing in high school through her knowledgeable teachers in the field. This passion ignited during an internship with the Macomb Chamber of Commerce. Helping to plan and organize community events, she saw the true value of networking. Caterina would like to go into the marketing field because she would like to learn more about what people are doing in her local area, how they behave, and why. Gaining a more thorough understanding of her community, she can use this knowledge to help make a positive change.