The Boettcher and Daniels Fund Scholarship are some of the biggest and most life-changing scholarships in the State of Colorado. This year, Greeley West High School has three finalists to boast of: Seniors Jilly Huang in the Boettcher Scholarship, Eduardo Managa-Orantes in the Daniels Fund Scholarship, and Kylee Wolfe in both.

The selection for finalists is rigid, with only the most diligent moving on. Wolfe, for instance, is in IB, AVID, is the Vice President of Key Club and NHS, is in the student council, and is the captain of three sports teams here at Greeley West.

“Boettcher provides for most if not all of the tuition for Colorado colleges,” told Huang, “and if I win, I’d like to use it to go to CU Boulder, to major in environmental studies and hopefully become a city planner.”

Daniels Fund provides similar funding, and isn’t restricted to Colorado schools, but has other restrictions. “In the Daniels Fund, the focus is on one guy having major impacts,” Wolfe said, “They require you to keep a job on-campus and have your major declared by your freshman year.”

Alongside their current workload, the finalists have put a lot of time into ensuring they have better odds of moving on. “I’ve had multiple mock interviews for the Daniels Fund,” Wolfe said, “I’ve spoken with people I know and even some I don’t to get feedback on the verbal and written essays. I’ve even talked to previous winners to see what works. I feel ready for my interview on February 6.”

The Boettcher Scholarship has a focus on keeping Coloradan talent in Colorado, giving 50 graduating Colorado students $20,000 towards their college education at participating Colorado schools.

Daniels Fund, however, allows students to attend any college in the United States, providing between $5,000 and $25,000 based on financial need and merit.

While both scholarships are closed now, other scholarships are still open. Counselors have more information.