Scholarships

Michigan Auto Law Car Accident Injury Survivor Scholarship

2025 Winner Aleena Palumbo Utah State University

The Michigan Auto Law Car Accident Injury Survivor Scholarship is an annual scholarship that our attorneys offer college students who were innocent victims of car accidents earlier in their lives and who have bravely overcome their injuries while pursuing an education.

Our annual scholarship of $1,000 is awarded to one winner. The deadline is December 31st.

Through our Car Accident Injury Survivor Scholarship, we strive to honor those innocent victims injured in an automobile crash as they continue to courageously persevere through their own medical recoveries and as they push forward to continue their education. We have witnessed some amazing stories of human resilience. These people have already achieved so much and we are excited for what they can achieve in the future.

Our hope is also that by recognizing outstanding young people who have overcome serious challenges, that we can provide inspiration and hope to others who are also going through a difficult recovery after a car accident.

This Car Accident Injury Survivor Scholarship has special significance to us. As auto accident attorneys, we wanted to create a scholarship based on our own experience helping innocent automobile crash victims. An automobile crash can be a life-changing event. Often, an initial injury is compounded by how people are subsequently mistreated, often by their own insurance companies when they are denied benefits or when they are cut-off from necessary No-Fault benefits like wage loss or being able to see a doctor to treat for injuries.

This year we are honored to recognize Aleena Palumbo who is a master’s student at Utah State University as the winner of our 2025 Michigan Auto Law Car Accident Injury Survivor Scholarship.

Congratulations to Aleena. We applaud your perseverance and strength of character. We are grateful to you for sharing your inspiring story with us and with countless others. We applaud you for the hope you bring.

To learn more about the Michigan Auto Law Car Accident Injury Survivor Scholarship and the challenges that our 2025 scholarship winner is facing with courage and determination, please read on.

What is the Michigan Auto Law Car Accident Injury Survivor Scholarship?

As attorneys, we understand how difficult it can be to recover after a serious car accident injury.

This is especially true for young people in the prime of their lives.

In order to recognize their struggles overcoming hardship and acts of heroism and hard work, Michigan Auto Law offers its annual Car Accident Injury Survivor Scholarship to college students who were innocent victims of car accidents at some point in their lives and who have overcome their injuries to pursue an education.

Our attorneys have been helping innocent people injured in auto accidents for more than 50 years, and want to lend a hand to those who have survived serious crashes and who are demonstrating resolve and determination to rebuild their lives.

Our Car Accident Injury Survivor Scholarship serves as an important reminder that each and every person injured in an auto accident is a person, not a number or a claim. Today, most of the insurance industry uses injury claims software that dehumanizes people by putting a dollar value on a case. When personal injuries and pain and suffering are given an average, or median dollar settlement value based on a given geographic area by a computer program, we lose sight of the most important thing of all: what a life-altering car accident means to a person who’s life has now been upended.

Eligibility and selection criteria

Applicants for the Michigan Auto Law Car Accident Injury Survivor Scholarship must:

  • Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident;
  • Be currently enrolled as a full- or part-time student in an accredited college or university within the United States;
  • Have innocently sustained injuries from a car or truck accident at some point in your life (i.e., you were not at-fault in causing and/or contributing to the accident that resulted in your injuries); and
  • Have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher.

Selection is based on the overall strength of the application and how that applicant has overcome the challenges he or she has faced from being injured in a car accident.

Application requirements

The application deadline for the 2026 Auto Law Car Accident Injury Survivor Scholarship is December 31, 2025.

The Michigan Auto Law Car Accident Injury Survivor Scholarship is a competitive process.

Applicants must submit the following items:

  • A completed application;
  • A copy of the police report from the motor vehicle accident that resulted in the applicant’s injuries. If a copy cannot be obtained from the police department or from their online system, other forms of acceptable proof can be a report from the applicant’s auto insurance company, or a medical or physical therapy document. Any document in lieu of a police report should include the applicant’s name and list or otherwise indicate that the applicant’s injuries were caused by or were the result of a car or motor vehicle accident;
  • An essay of not more than three pages describing the car accident, the applicant’s injury or injuries, and how the applicant has worked to overcome his or her injury or injuries.

How to apply

If you are interested in applying for this scholarship, please complete the Car Accident Injury Survivor Scholarship Application.

All application materials can be sent by email or faxed on or before the December 31, 2025, deadline. PLEASE NOTE: Files sent via email must be in PDF or Microsoft Word (DOC) format.

Fax to the attention of the Michigan Auto Law Scholarships at (248) 254-8088 or email the completed Car Accident Injury Survivor Scholarship application, and required documents to [email protected]

For questions, please send an email to [email protected].

Apply today.

Meet Aleena Palumbo: Winner of the 2025 Michigan Auto Law Car Accident Injury Survivor Scholarship

Aleena was hit head-on by a driver running a red light at 55 mph who fled the scene on February 19, 2024. She endured numerous injuries including three broken ribs, left-shoulder separation, whiplash, a right-knee tear, a concussion, and several contusions. Within 24 hours of the accident, she was diagnosed with an Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM), for which she underwent brain surgery.

“Knowing the collision was not my fault, it felt as if everything I had was stolen from me,” said Aleena. “My loss is due to someone else’s decision to drive distracted. It’s unfortunate; they were able to drive home, sleep, and wake up the next day with no life-changing consequences, but I must suffer from their wrongdoings.”

During her recovery process, Aleena found a passion for audiology and helping other victims of serious injuries. She has been pre-approved for a doctoral project focusing on the relationship between hearing and AVMs. She also decided to share her journey on social media and amassed a community of AVM survivors, becoming not only an inspiration, but a spokesperson for those victimized by reckless driving.

Have you been injured in a car accident? Call Michigan Auto Law for a free consultation

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident and you have concerns and questions about your legal rights to pain and suffering compensation, economic damages and auto No-Fault insurance benefits, call now (800) 968-1001 for a free consultation with one of our experienced attorneys. There is no cost or obligation. You can also visit our contact page or use the chat feature on our website.

Michigan Auto Law is Michigan’s largest and most successful law firm that specializes exclusively in helping people who have been injured in auto accidents.

Our secret? Our car accident lawyers deliberately handle fewer cases than other personal injury law firms.  This allows us to focus more time and attention on our cases.

Unlike other law firms, attorneys are never too busy to promptly return phone calls and answer questions. 

We have more than 2,000 5-Star Reviews that reflect this care and attention to detail.

More importantly, this client-focused approach leads to better and faster settlements for our clients. Michigan Auto Law has recovered more million-dollar settlements and trial verdicts for motor vehicle accidents than any other lawyer or law firm in Michigan. We’ve also recovered the highest ever reported truck accident and car accident settlement in the state.

Call now so we can start making a real difference for you.

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