On March 25, the Daniels Scholarship Program announced this year’s recipients. Three students from the Roaring Fork area were chosen. The scholarship awards students of strong character, not only in school, but outside as well. The recipients have their full cost of attendance covered at partner schools in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming or up to $100,000 over four years if they attend a school outside the four state partnership, according to the Daniels Fund website. The Boettcher Foundation also awarded recipients with an annual scholarship of $20,000 for four years. Three students from the Roaring Fork area were chosen, including one first generation student.
The Roaring Fork Valley students, two attending Basalt High School, one attending Glenwood Springs High School and another attending Roaring Fork High School, went through a rigorous scholarship application process to be able to jump into their college careers without tuition costs being such a deciding factor.
“It’s a relief, really; it’s a peace of mind,” said Daniels Fund scholarship recipient, Alejandro Alvarez. “It’s more than just happiness because it kind of gives you a sense of security that I think is rare.”
Alvarez, who attends Basalt High School and is part of Key Club, National Honor Society and the Buddy Program, was awarded the scholarship alongside his classmate, Eric Vasquez, who also volunteers with the Buddy Program and tutors younger students in math is part of the Equity Advisory Council where he works with the superintendent of the school district.
“My goal was to make it so my parents wouldn’t have to pay anything,” Vasquez said. “It made me happy to know that I no longer had to worry about that.”
Gabriel Cordoba, the third Daniels Fund scholarship recipient, is a student at Glenwood Springs High School. “It’s definitely a great feeling to know that I won something so big and that all my hard work in school has paid off toward something,” Cordoba said.
Roaring Fork High School student, Ricardo Zavala, was awarded the Boettcher Foundation scholarship. Like the previous students, he was part of the Roaring Fork PreCollegiate Program where one of the requirements is to be a first generation student. The program aims to prepare students to be able to navigate college, financial aid and scholarship applications, and to adapt with the transition to college which involves working on self advocacy, goal setting and identity exploration, said Roaring Fork PreCollegiate Program director David Smith. Program participation begins as early as seventh grade for middle school students who are interested in attending college.
Smith added that the program is proud of the students for earning these scholarships.
“It’s a very public and a very great validation for all of their hard work throughout high school, academically and then developing their interests,” Smith said. “I think that’s really important for not just them in their own personal journeys to college, being able to step into that next space, but for the people that come behind them to understand that they can tell their story in an authentic way and people will respond to that.”
All four students mentioned that the application process involved responding to essay prompts that allowed them to showcase themselves and their passions. For the Daniels Fund scholarship, one of the essay prompts for this year asked students what they would change about their country.
“One thing I said I wanted to change was offering opportunities to everyone, specifically, immigrants from other countries,” Vasquez said. “I’ve seen my parents and other families struggle to gain those opportunities to move forward and I realized that fear held them back. I would like it so that they will know their rights and that they have an equal opportunity to be successful through hard work.”
Cordoba, a volunteer for Lift-Up, coach for youth boys soccer, and part of the student advisory committee of the Youth for Christ organization, wrote about changing the country in a way that makes it easier for people who face financial struggles to improve their situation.
“I said I would like to break away from the trap of being stuck in low income communities, especially for Hispanic immigrants,” Cordoba said. He explained that the inspiration for his essay came from his own experience and provided examples like funding trade schools and making higher education more affordable.
Alvarez wrote about mental health and the correlation with mass shootings and domestic terrorist acts, which he said are more common in the United States than in other countries. He discussed the importance of spreading awareness and finding a solution in order to deescalate dangerous situations.
For Zavala, the Boettcher scholarship had a different essay prompt that requested a backstory that the applicant was passionate about.
“I think the biggest inspiration for me as I was working on my scholarship was just looking back at when I was a first grader and didn’t know anyone. I didn’t know English, and now I was applying to this prestigious scholarship to which thousands of students apply, and how all my hard work was paying off since first grade,” Zavala said.
The students then offered advice to those looking to apply to the Daniels Fund and Boettcher Foundation scholarships, or any others.
“I think one of the most important things is to be yourself,” Alvarez said. “Oftentimes, I see people try to create a persona that they think would be more appealing to either colleges or scholarships. It’s a lot more valuable to show what your interests are.”
Vasquez’s advice coincides with Alvarez’s, encouraging applicants to express what they truly feel and do something that carries personal meaning.
“It will make the process easier because if it means something to you, all the supplementals and the interview questions are going to come easy,” Vasquez said.
Cordoba and Zavala advised to stay focused and not give up, even when the application process becomes overwhelming.
“The biggest thing that helped me get through those interviews was the thought that they’re looking for reasons to give me the scholarship. They’re not looking for reasons to deny me that opportunity. They want me there and they’re looking for reasons to accept me,” Zavala said.
As of now, Vasquez is leaning toward studying landscape architecture and was recently accepted and has committed to Cornell University in New York. Alvarez is hoping to commit to the University of Southern California where he will study mechanical engineering. Cordoba is still deciding on which university to attend but is leaning toward Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington to study business. Zavala will be attending Colorado School of Mines to study computer science.
With the help of their schools and communities, Smith reflects on the impact that the first generation students will have on those looking to take similar steps toward their careers.
“Being a first generation student means you’re a leader, in your family and in your community,” Smith said. “I don’t think they necessarily even realize the impact that they are going to have on the people behind them and in their immediate family, community and in the larger school community as examples of the kinds of success that can really be rewarded and celebrated.”