On Saturday, May 20, 2023, almost 60 students will graduate between the Nederland and Gilpin schools. Next week, another three will graduate from Chinook. The numbers up here are small compared to some communities. I am looking forward to these kids walking up that aisle. These kids are amazing.
At The Mountain-Ear, we honor four students this year with a Barbara Lawlor Memorial Scholarship. Barbara believed in these kids. She knew they would be amazing. When she passed, we created a scholarship fund to honor local kids in the community. This is the 5th year we will present these.
All students are welcome to apply for the scholarship. We encourage our interns to apply and this year we had three who have been interns and another who had not.
Megan Hess will receive a $500 scholarship. Megan was not an intern with the paper, but she met all criteria of the scholarship. Interns Noah Turner, Ande Hammers, and Aucklynn Sacco will receive $1000 each. We wish all of these young adults an awesome future and look forward to keeping track of what they do next.
This takes me back a bit to my days of high school. I was enrolled at Nederland and I also went to Boulder High School for a while. I didn’t do well in school. I was unmotivated. I moved here from a giant high school in California to a school with 20 or so kids in each grade. Everyone had been together since Kindergarten. And then, there was me. An awkward, quiet, introverted kid who didn’t “blend” well. I was thankful when I found my tribe, a half dozen kids who liked me despite my coming from California. And I learned to love all of the students, but I never quite felt like “fit in” during high school.
One thing I did love was learning. have been and continue to be a lifelong learner. I also loved the teachers that made a difference because they cared enough about me to find me when I skipped class or had an emotional breakdown. Those teachers literally saved my life. At the end of it all, the kindness shown by friends and teachers helped mold me into who I am today.
I’ve attended four community colleges. I’ve studied horse training and management, farm and ranch management, paralegal, patent design and drafting, graphic design, and ended up with an actual AAS in Sociology. I’d be an eternal student if I could. I use my studies in all facets of my life. For that, I am thankful.
To the kids going to college, I wish you the best of luck! To the ones who aren’t, I thank you for entering the workforce or taking a gap year (or more) before spending a lot of money without knowing what you want to pursue. Each of us blossoms at the time that is right.
Congratulations on your graduation. Enjoy your special day!
As always, The Mountain-Ear is YOUR community source for news. We welcome your thoughtful letters, stories, phone calls and emails. We cover the news YOU want to read, in the communities you love. Peak to Peak.
Reach us at info@themountainear.com or by phone at 303-810-5409.
