Eliana Junttila

ESCANABA — The 14th Annual Laura M. Hivala Memorial Scholarship has been award for the 2022-2023 school year. This years’ recipient is Eliana Junttila, of Escanaba.

Junttila is a 2023 graduate of Escanaba Area High School and is attending Michigan Technological University in Houghton, where she will major in scientific and technical communication.

She is the daughter of Christian and Justin Hunttila, of Escanaba.

The Laura M. Hivala Scholarship is an annual scholarship awarded to an Escanaba High School graduate attending MTU. This award is made possible through donations from family and friends of Laura Hivala.

Hivala passed away in January or 2010 at the age of 32. She was a 1996 graduate of Escanaba High School, received a Presidential Scholar Award to attend Michigan Tech, and graduated in 200 with an environmental engineering degree. At the time of her death, she was employed and living in Louisville, Kentucky.