Denver, May 1, 2024 — The Boettcher Foundation is thrilled to unveil its 2024 Class of Boettcher Scholars.
The Boettcher Scholarship Program has been in place since 1952, aiming to retain Colorado’s inspiring high school graduates within the state for their college education. More than 1,900 students applied for the scholarship this year.
Scholars are selected based on academics, service, leadership, and character. In addition to receiving an $80,000 scholarship award across four years, Scholars can also receive institutional, merit, and/or need-based aid from their respective campuses. The Boettcher Scholarship is more than just financial assistance; it includes a comprehensive program and support system designed to help Scholars maximize their academic and leadership capabilities.
The Boettcher Scholar community is a robust network of over 2,800 leaders who have made significant contributions in various fields such as business, government, nonprofits, and education.
This year’s cohort of 50 Scholars includes the following:
- A stuttering awareness advocate who spreads information and insight on stuttering to her 230,000 followers on TikTok.
- A student who works full-time, takes care of younger siblings before and after school, and still maintains the highest GPA in her school’s 20-year history.
- A student that lives off the grid, commuting 90 minutes to school every day and relying on solar energy to power her life.
- The year-round manager of a local nonprofit bike repair shop, overseeing a team of 10 peers.
- A “Positive Peer” presiding on her city’s Municipal Teen Court, focused on issuing judgments rooted in compassion that have the greatest potential for positive change in the respondents.
- A proud, self-proclaimed “nerd” with a mission to destigmatize STEM education by making it more accessible and appealing to younger generations.
- A scientist, so passionate about science that she conducted her own, self-designed research on algae at home throughout high school.
- A 4th generation farmer who is committed to returning to the family farm after college.
“As we welcome the newest cohort of Boettcher Scholars, we’re thrilled to highlight their remarkable talents and passions. These dynamic thinkers and leaders bring a diverse array of skills and interests to our community,” said Vanessa Roman, director of scholarships & foundation programs. From self-taught knitters and private pilots to vocal soloists and innovative entrepreneurs, their commitment to leadership and service has already enriched communities across the state.
Scholar names and photos to follow.
Contact:
Curtis L. Esquibel
Senior Director of Communications & Community Engagement
curtis@boettcherfoundation.org
303.565.6291
About the Boettcher Foundation
We believe in the promise of Colorado and the potential of Coloradans because courageous leadership benefits every community in our state. By investing in people, programs, and organizations, we provide a foundation for transformational impact and community-building.
2024 Boettcher Scholars
Tony Adams
My career aspiration is to become a math professor in Spanish-speaking regions so that I can impact diversity of the higher level mathematics community.
Sofia Ambriz
My proudest achievement is uniting my school community through observing and learning about a family of Great Horned Owls nesting outside a classroom window.
Carmen Anarella
A unique talent or skill I have is playing music. I sing and play guitar, piano, tenor saxophone, and clarinet!
Gilkah Argueta
My career aspiration is to use my education in medicine and life experiences to advocate for others so that I can impact patients and diverse communities.
Reema Baishya
I am passionate about advocating for my culture and heritage because I want to inspire other Indians like me to be proud of their identity.
Egan Bauersfeld
My proudest achievement is earning my Gold Medal Congressional Award. This experience further deepened my passion for helping others in my Colorado community.
Brock Benton
My proudest achievement is creating an entire student-supported mental health team within my school.
Sammy Berman
A unique talent or skill I have is my ability to effectively and respectfully communicate with others with different beliefs and experiences.
Sara Blazier
I am passionate about social justice because I've seen how marginalized groups are treated in my community as well as experiencing it myself.
Eli Cohen
My proudest achievement is summiting the (sometimes deadly) 14,131' Capitol Peak.
Rhiannon Danborn
A unique talent or skill I have is painting landscapes. I find tremendous joy in the process of creation and in capturing the beauty of Colorado’s outdoors.
Aidan Datteri
During my undergraduate career, I plan to study Agribusiness with an emphasis in leadership development.
Bryce Davis
I am passionate about youth civic engagement because it's vital for young people to understand and exercise their voting rights.
Margaux Dempsey
I am passionate about sports because they bring various groups of people together and teach meaningful life lessons and skills.
Aisha Ebadi
My proudest achievement is memorizing over half of the Quran in Arabic.
Cole Gaddis
I am passionate about athletics because it brings together people of different backgrounds, experiences, and beliefs and forces you to work together for a common cause.
Grace Gardner
My favorite Colorado experience is living in rural Colorado and being able to experience the life people often do not realize is available in Colorado.
Jaymi Gile
My favorite Colorado experience is camping outdoors with my family and becoming a Junior Ranger at the Great Sand Dunes, my second home.
Emmanuel Gil Gonzalez
During my undergraduate career, I plan to continue expanding my knowledge of cars and engineering to eventually design and build my own engine.
Victor Parra Gonzalez
During my undergraduate career, I plan to be adventurous and unafraid to explore new paths and possibilities to take advantage of these formative years.
Maanasi Gowda
My favorite Colorado experience is playing at the Festival of Winds and being surrounded by a plethora of talented musicians with similar passions as me.
Kenia Hansen Guzman
I am passionate about creating inclusive communities because everyone deserves to feel safe, loved, and celebrated.
Brooklynn Henschel
A unique talent or skill I have is coaching. I love to coach and to teach young kids about life lessons and finding passion in the little things.
Cece Houseweart
A unique talent or skill I have is chicken showing, I am a proud Delta County Fair Chicken Showmanship Champion.
Chloe Johnson
During my undergraduate career, I plan to study pre-law, continue to spread the Special Olympics Movement by advocating for inclusive spaces for all, and run collegiately.
Michelle Lau
I am passionate about people because of how incredibly and beautifully unique each person is, and because we have infinite potential together, as humanity.
Kya Leptrone
I am passionate about stuttering awareness because growing up with a stutter I felt misunderstood, as if my stutter made me less than others.
Misa Lopez
I am passionate about leadership because it provides a platform for people to have positive impacts on others’ lives, organizations, or communities.
Olivia Madden
I am passionate about the local history in the Surface Creek Valley because I am the sixth generation to grow up in the area.
Tayla Martin
My favorite Colorado experience is competing in a sprint triathlon alongside my dad while admiring Boulder’s beautiful Flatirons as I crossed the finish line.
Ricardo Zavala Magana
During my undergraduate career, I plan to explore a diversity of programming languages to work with multiple groups of people.
Gus Miller
My proudest achievement is having learned the ability to lose and be unsuccessful graciously and celebrate even the smallest of accomplishments and continue on.
Opal Munger
I am passionate about child grief counseling because the ability to acclimate to and cope with change is life-saving.
Time Niemeyer
I am passionate about music, mountains, and math because I love learning and teaching STEM, playing guitar with bands, and driving while exploring the Rockies.
Aisha O'Neil
A unique talent or skill I have is organizing peers and community members in collective actions towards social change.
Mooku Paw
My career aspiration is to become a Pediatric Oncologist so that I can impact patients and families experiencing cancer by having empathy, patience, and a heart of service.
Lilly Phan
During my undergraduate career, I plan to study computer science and conduct research to further medical initiatives to better access to medicine and healthcare for marginalized communities.
Kaden Piel
I am passionate about my family's heritage because I love to see the footprints my family has left over many generations.
Harrison Proctor
My career aspiration is to sustain and regenerate agriculture so that I can impact the next generation of farmers, keeping small farms alive.
Laura Pulido
A unique talent or skill I have is rendering 3D coarse grain models and determining distances between molecules, useful for COVID applications, skills I gained interning at Mines.
Jaqueline Rojas Rivera
My favorite Colorado experience is tubing down Boulder Creek with my family and enjoying a lovely picnic along the riverbank.
Yadilexy Banuelos Rojas
My career aspiration is to become a Financial Analyst so that I can impact people in my community who might not have access or knowledge about creating wealth.
Rita Saini
My career aspiration is to work in cosmetics so that I can impact the lives of those who feel pressured by harmful beauty standards.
Habiba Samir
I am passionate about learning new languages and getting to practice with families in the community because I believe that speaking one's language not only breaks down a barrier but also allows the translation of their experiences.
Christinamae Sheley
A unique talent or skill I have is my ability to balance living completely off-the-grid and commuting three hours daily to attend high school.
Kaia Skadberg
During my undergraduate career, I plan to acquire a degree in engineering and learn not only how to work but how to live.
Ismael Triana
During my undergraduate career, I plan to explore opportunities, embrace and leverage a new level of freedom, find what I'm passionate about, and build community.
Nandha Vivek
I am passionate about bench-to-bedside research because I've personally seen the transformative impact of scientific innovation on my patients' lives.
Lauren Watts
I am passionate about healthcare and emergency medical services because I volunteer on a search and rescue team.
Jacob Welte
I am passionate about adolescent mental health because because there's a critical gap in understanding and addressing the unique mental health challenges faced by teenagers.
