Standout Student Earns Second Brewing Scholarship

It was a trip to visit a brewery in Oregon that sparked an interest in brewing in Ellie Maddelein. Starting off at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, she found her success in the joint sustainable brewing program with WMU. This past May, Maddelein was honored with an outstanding award provided by the Kalamazoo Beer Exchange – The Kalamazoo Beer Exchange Jonathan Granfeldt Scholarship – during a celebration that included ringing the Exchange Opening Bell.

“I was honored to receive the Kalamazoo Beer Exchange Jonathan Granfeldt Scholarship,” says Maddelein. “This scholarship is a great affirmation of all I have learned while I have been in the sustainable brewing program. Thank you to the Granfeldt family, the Kalamazoo Beer Exchange and my mentor, Dr. Steve Bertman, for supporting me as I enter my final semester and soon after my profession.”

Maddelein will put her knowledge and skills to work at Paw Paw Brewing, where she was recently hired by Dan King, alumnus of WMU and the sustainable brewing program. King was the first in the brewing program to receive the KBE scholarship as a junior in 2016. Maddelein hopes to expand her knowledge of brewing in the future, focusing not only on brewing but also on quality control and lab work. She is grateful to be surrounded by a supportive community of brewers and for the education she received both at WMU and KVCC.

View this story and more in the 2019 issue of WMU's Arts and Sciences Magazine.