• December 11th, 2024
  • Wednesday, 07:00:18 AM

Girls Inc. Presents 2019 Scholarship Recipients


Photo: Carrie Webber Photography From left to right: Sophia, Doha, Analysse, Jenny, Nephraterie, Jennifer, Morning Star, and Donaji.

As hallways across Colorado buzz with the excitement of college acceptances and the anxiety of affording the rising cost of higher education, eight girls in the Metro Denver area will be able to feel more excitement than anxiety. That is because eight young women are the 2019 Girls Inc. Scholarship recipients.

Girls Inc. of Metro Denver (GIMD) and over 700 guests will gather to celebrate girls at the annual My Bold Future luncheon hosted at the Seawell Grand Ballroom at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts on May 9At this event, GIMD recognizes the accomplishments of all girls, while awarding $60,000 in college scholarships to help lessen the financial barriers to success faced by young women pursuing higher education.

A 2019 Strong, Smart, and Bold Scholarship recipient, Nephraterie acknowledges the impact her $10,000 scholarship will not only have on her, but on her greater community. Nephraterie, a twelfth grader, has sought to learn more about her own identity as a young woman of color, by exploring the world at large. She visited the Dominican Republic, Rwanda, México, and Uganda, finding connections with others that live a life in many ways so different from her own.

“This scholarship will not only help me better equip myself for learning more about global empowerment in college, but it will make learning a possibility I may not have had otherwise; a priority that I hope will not only impact me, but people in my community and around the world,” she said.

Nephraterie, along with scholarship recipients Morning Star and Donaji, will share their stories as speakers at My Bold Future. Guests will include the girls, their families, friends and supporters of Girls Inc. of Metro Denver, alongside our individual and corporate sponsors. One of our top corporate sponsors this year is Comcast-NBC Universal, who has been a longtime partner of Girls Inc. of Metro Denver, especially for STEM programs.

Sophia, a tenth grader, wants to pursue a career in STEM (Science, Engineering, Technology, and Math). “STEM is the future and I want to be a part of a field that is continuing to grow and change the world in innovative and revolutionary ways,” says Sophia. She is the recipient of the first, annual Dyan L. Foss STEM Scholarship awarded at My Bold Future. Established through an endowment gift to Girls Inc. of Metro Denver by Charles and Sandra Foss in memory of Dyan L. Foss, the scholarship awards $5,000 each year to a girl pursuing a STEM field in her post-secondary education. Sophia hopes to use her scholarship to explore environmental engineering, and help discover sustainable solutions to help the environment.

In addition to celebrating the achievements of all girls, Girls Inc. of Metro Denver will also recognize local partners as Champions for Girls. The 2019 Corporate Champion for Girls, Lockheed Martin, and the 2019 Community Champion for Girls, Susan Powers and Urban Ventures, both have a deep partnership with Girls Inc of Metro Denver. Lockheed Martin is a major supporter of GIMD’s Eureka STEM program, providing unique internship experiences to Girls Inc. girls, including Sophia. Urban Venture’s STEAM on the Platte houses GIMD’s Strong, Smart, and Bold Beans, a social enterprise coffee shop operated by girls (Bold Baristas).

“My Bold Future will provide a wonderful platform to celebrate our 2019 Girls Inc. Scholarship winners, honor partners who are dedicated to girls’ empowerment, and recognize the hard work of girls across our community who strive to be strong, smart, and bold each day,” says Sonya Ulibarri, Girls Inc. of Metro Denver’s President & CEO.

For more info on Girls Inc: girlsincdenver.org or 303-893-4363.

 

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