Van Andel Arena, DeVos Performance Hall and DeVos Place, managed by entertainment giant, ASM Global, announced the Kent County recipient of the ASM Global Stars scholarship program for the 2024-2025 academic year. With the support of the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority’s Community Inclusion Group, Blessing Amoah, from Calvin University, is one of 100 students nationwide that have been selected to receive $2,500 in scholarship money to help continue to pursue their education and career goals.
Blessing is currently a senior majoring in Computer Science, where one of his favorite classes has been CS 108: Introduction to Programming using Python. In his free time, he enjoys listening to music and exploring new sounds. One of his favorite memories from school so far has been the opportunity to help plan Streetfest, an annual event, where incoming students, faculty, and staff had the opportunity to engage with over 40 community organizations and churches in Grand Rapids.
ASM Global staff invited Blessing to DeVos Place and Van Andel Arena to tour the facilities and learn more about career opportunities in the events and facilities management industry. Due to his Computer Science focus, the facilities and maintenance team took him behind the scenes to show him the Information Technology applications utilized by the venues.
“It was a pleasure learning more about ASM Global and the incredible work your team does,” said Amoah after touring the Grand Rapids facilities. “Receiving this scholarship means a great deal to me; not only does it help ease the financial burden of tuition, but it also serves as a reminder of the support and encouragement from industry leaders like ASM Global.”
ASM Global Stars, which launched in 2022, gives educational and career development opportunities to students in under-resourced communities across the U.S., creating accessible pathways to continue their advancement towards higher education and the careers of their choice. Hundreds of high school seniors and college undergrads, pursuing a career in business, hospitality, entertainment, sports management, media, IT or design, applied for this prestigious honor.
"We're truly honored to support these outstanding students from our community and help them advance toward their educational goals and career aspirations," said General Manager, Rich MacKeigan. "The ASM Global Acts Foundation and ASM Global Stars have a profound effect on those in our West Michigan community, and we're eager to watch these students thrive and continue to accomplish great things far past their college careers.”
The ASM Global Stars scholarship program application for the 2025-2026 academic year is currently open through May 8. With the support of the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority’s Community Inclusion Group, one student within Kent County will receive a $2,500 scholarship this year. Students interested in more information or applying for the scholarship should visit
https://shorturl.at/AZX2k.
About ASM Global:
Van Andel Arena, DeVos Place and DeVos Performance Hall are managed by ASM Global. Award-winning ASM Global is the world’s No. 1 development and full-service venue company focused on client-first approaches for driving significant financial success. The company’s elite network spans five continents featuring a portfolio of more than 400 of the world’s most prestigious arenas, stadiums, convention/exhibition centers and performing arts venues. ASM Global translates its unique visionary ownership experience into innovative project development, planning and execution; content programming; curated guest-immersive experiences; locally tailored solutions; and optimized revenue streams for our client’s properties and surrounding communities. Focused on value creation and economic growth, ASM Global realizes venue business potential to elevate the profitability and profile of our clients and partners. We cultivate strong, inclusive relationships with the communities we work and live in while championing the welfare and development of our employees and small business partners, resulting in a more cohesive, resilient and vibrant community.
ASM Global’s expertise and commitment extends across existing venue management, new venue development and transformative renovation projects across the most exciting properties in the industry, including Kai Tak Sports Park (Hong Kong), Caesars Superdome (New Orleans, Louisiana), The Moscone Center (San Francisco, California), AO Arena (Manchester, U.K.), The Greek Theatre (Los Angeles, California), Desert Diamond Arena (Glendale, Arizona) and Fishers Event Center (Fishers, Indiana).