Elisabeth Grove, Gilpin County. Sheriff Kevin Armstrong is pleased to announce that Shania Gonzales is the Gilpin County recipient of the 2019/2020 County Sheriffs of Colorado (CSOC) scholarship for Gilpin County.

Shania is finishing her Pre-Med / Pre-Health Colorado:  Emergency Medicine / Wilderness & Climate Medicine before attending Colorado Mesa University this fall to pursue a bachelor degree in nursing. An ambitious student, Shania was recognized with several academic awards and honors, and she is active in academic clubs as well as community organizations. After earning her paramedic and nursing degrees, Shania wants to return to the Denver and work in an area hospital. She stated in her application, “…I am the first person in my family to go to college, and I must accept new changes and challenges.” 

CSOC awarded 30 students $500 scholarships this year to deserving high school and college students in Colorado to fund higher education and training expenses for the 2019/2020 academic year. In addition to the $500 scholarships, three outstanding students out of the 30 were chosen to receive an additional $1000 scholarship. Because of her academic and personal excellence, Shania was chosen as one of those three recipients. A committee evaluated applications and made their selections based upon criteria established by CSOC to include leadership, merit, character, involvement, and career purpose. The scholarship was open to residents of Gilpin County who planned to, or were attending, a vocational training program or institution of higher learning in the state of Colorado. It is with great pleasure that these scholarships are presented to Shania Gonzales.

CSOC established the scholarship program in 1978, and the effort has continued as a meaningful expression of the sheriffs’ confidence in and respect for education and training. Monies for the scholarship program are derived, in part, from the CSOC honorary membership fund which consists of contributions from individual citizens and businesses each year.

Originally published in the May 23, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)