Question: What do these CC students have in common?
Elizabeth Montano ’15
- A vice president of the CC Republicans who won a national documentary film award and co-chairs the Native American Students Union (Elizabeth Montano ’15)
- A fraternity president who is a drama and education entrepreneur and won the Van Skilling Award for great potential for thesis research in Economics & Business (Jacob Kirksey ’15)
- A Keller Family Venture Grant winner who walked 600 miles on Spain’s Camino de Santiago and won the Ann Rice Award for a woman who exemplifies the goals of the liberal arts (Emma Whitehead ’16)
Answer: All received Student Leader Scholarships from CC’s Alumni Association Board in 2014.
Some of the college’s most outstanding student leaders have received this scholarship, which reduces recipients’ student loan debt. The scholarship is intended to encourage students to remain engaged as CC leaders after graduation. AAB members have contributed and raised funds to build the Student Leader Scholarship endowment, the income from which funds scholarships each year. The Alumni Association Board invites all CC alumni to join us in contributing to this scholarship fund and reducing the indebtedness of some of our outstanding students.
Elizabeth is a first-generation college student who was presented a national documentary film award during National History Day ceremonies in Washington, D.C. She has worked to build relations with the Gathering of Nations, Colorado Springs Indian Cultural Center, and One Nation Walking Together. As a mentor in CC’s Summer Bridge and First Generation programs, she has helped integrate more than 100 first-generation, minority, and international students into the college. She has been vice president and treasurer of CC’s Republicans, as well as a student leader of the F.I.R.E. Catholic Group, coordinating student services, trips, and volunteer activities with local Catholic churches.
In 2011, Jacob founded Kids Are Dramatic, a student organization that develops drama programs to foster cognitive and emotional growth in K-12 students. It has grown to involve 20 CC students as interns. For nearly two years, Jacob also has served as advocacy director for the Imagination Celebration, a Colorado Springs organization devoted to spurring student creativity. He was invited to speak to policy makers, principals, and teachers at the Kennedy Center-National Endowment for the Arts 2014 conference. He has been president of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and, as captain of CC’s speech/debate team, was an American Forensics Association National tournament qualifier for competitive public speaking (2011-14).
In addition to co-chairing and singing in Room 46, CC’s co-ed a capella choir, Emma was a cast member in CC’s performance of “Hear No Evil in the Year 2090.” She is working with CC faculty to develop a course that will take students to Spain to study the religious and political implications of the Camino de Santiago, the ancient pilgrimage trail that she walked. She is on the President’s Council and the Political Science Advisory Committee, and leads New Student Orientation trips. A National Hispanic Honor Society member, Emma is in her third year as the financial aid intern; she is also admission fellow captain, interviewing prospective students and working closely with directors to help make a CC education accessible.
Jeff Haney ’76 chaired the AAB Student Leader Scholarship Committee, which included Les Goss ’72, Noel Gugliotta Roberts ’11, and Tony Rosendo ’02. They reviewed many strong candidates to select the 2014 recipients.
Please join the Alumni Association Board in supporting student leaders like Elizabeth, Jacob, and Emma. The need is great, and your support of the Student Leader Scholarship Fund can make a big difference to another group of outstanding students next year. Call CC’s Alumni Office at (719) 389-6775 to find out how you can invest to change the lives of our outstanding students.
Christine Moon Schluter ’65
President of the Alumni Association Board
