Hello - As a parent, it is always so exciting to watch your children succeed and pursue their dreams - even if we as parents cannot afford it. My son, Sterling, has worked his way through school getting his Associates Degree in Wine and Viticulture Technology from Lake Michigan College and his Bachelors Degree in Applied Science (with a focus on Marketing and Management) from Siena Heights University. Just before graduation, he found out about a Masters in Science program in Wine and Spirit Management (complete with an opportunity to test for WSET level 3) from Kedge Business School in Talence France. It was so exciting for him to be chosen as one of 33 students around the world to take part in this program.

During this schooling, he learned all processes of winemaking from pruning the vineyards to bottling and Quality Assurance. While in school he worked at St Julian Winery, working as a tasting room employee and promoted to Cellar Specialist working 2 harvest seasons and making various blends.

Sterling left for Talence in September 2024 to complete his one-year program at Kedge. Before he left, had accumulated enough savings to cover either his entire schooling or living expenses for the school year, but not both. We sought out student loans here in the USA, but no one would approve them due to limitations placed by the French Government, and similarly, without living in France for a significant number of years, he would not qualify for a student loan in France. We also tried traditional loans, but the banks refused him because he would not have income while studying in France (he was eligible to work limited hours while on a student visa, however due to his class times, he cannot work during in normal business hours). In December 2024, he took his WSET, but will not hear the results of this exam until February 2025.

Had he taken a similar program here in the USA, it would have taken 2 years, and $50,000 per year (plus housing) to achieve the same result.

This being said, he has now spent all of his resources on the first semester of schooling, housing, and transportation. He recently received a scholarship which helped him pay for January tuition and rent from the Michigan Horticulture Society.

Sterling is developing his Master's Thesis around the development and marketing of hybrid wines. The University of Minnesota and Michigan State University have been developing grape varietals with traits such as shorter growing seasons, cold-weather resistance, sandy soil compatibility etc. Sterling noticed that there was no quantitative research on the consumer acceptance of wines made with these modified grapes (such as Traminette, Marquette, etc.) as compared to their traditional counterparts. Such a comparison would bring awareness to these wines and as their popularity grows, it would provide other area like Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota opportunities to grow their ability to grow the grapes, and produce wines competitive with the more popular varieties from California.

Sterling has a total need of $15,000 to finish his education (2 tuition payments, 4 rent payments, food, utilities, and his return flight) and we, as parents, are not in a financial position to help him other than providing him housing when gets back to the USA at the end of May. He is currently seeking a position in the wine industry close to home when he returns.