By Michael Teague
From now until October 18, graduating high school seniors in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming can apply for the Daniels Scholarship, which provides full cost of attendance to 19 partner colleges and universities across the four-state region.
Funding covers tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, and other education expenses while students also receive a free laptop. With more than 3,000 Daniels scholar alumni now graduated and in the workforce, the Daniels Scholarship has had a profound impact on thou- sands of aspiring college students and their families.
“I had straight A’s in high school, a good SAT score. but I didn’t know if I wanted to go to college because I didn’t have a way to pay for it,” said Daniels Scholarship recipient Israel Oketunmbi. “That’s where the Daniels Fund came in… and I got a scholar- ship. I don’t want people to be in the same situation I was.”
“Daniels Scholars are the next generation of leaders, making a remarkable difference in their careers and communities across the nation,” said Hanna Skandera, president and CEO of the Daniels Fund. “We are excited to continue empowering students with the opportunity to unlock their potential and achieve their educational goals.”
Recipients of the Daniels Scholarship can attend any accredited nonprofit college in the United States and have attended more than 500 colleges across all 50 states. Students choosing to attend colleges other than the Daniels Scholarship’s partner schools are eligible to receive $100,000 over four years for schools outside the four-state region and $30,000 over four years at nonpartner institutions within it.
Selection criteria for the Daniels Scholarship include strength of character, leadership potential, commitment to serving their community, academic performance or promise, well-rounded personality, and emotional maturity and stability.
Applications for the scholarship close October18, and finalists will be notified in January. The first step typically takes less than an hour to complete. Following a personal interview process, scholarship recipients will be announced in late March.
The online application and additional information on the Daniels Scholarship are available at danielsfund.org/scholarships.
Michael Teague writes for the Daniels Fund.