The Mountain Parks Electric (MPE) Scholarship Program recently awarded scholarships to 28 applicants, including 26 in the Academic Scholarship category and two in the Trade School Scholarship category, for a total of $82,500 from the unclaimed capital credits fund.
Scholarship recipients will be recognized at MPE’s 75th Annual Meeting on Saturday, April 26, at the Middle Park High School (795 N. 2nd Street in Granby). The free breakfast begins at 8 a.m. and the meeting starts at 9:15 a.m.
The volunteer MPE Scholarship Committee had a challenging task this year as they had more than 50 scholarship applications to review. The Academic Scholarship is the standard scholarship for collegebound students or those continuing in their post-secondary education. Among the award recipients were four non-traditional students or those continuing in their college programs. The MPE Scholarship Committee utilized the total annual budget of $75,000 for Academic Scholarships for the following awards:
- Evelyn Amaya of West Grand High School – $3,000
- Dana Bell of Middle Park High School – $4,000
- Gunnar Bjerken of Middle Park High School – $3,000
- Eli Boomer of Middle Park High School – $2,500
- Luci Bruchez of West Grand High School – $2,500
- Nathan Chua of Middle Park High School – $2,500
- Travis Churchill of Middle Park High School – $2,500
- Sabra Forquer of Middle Park High School – $3,000
- Callie Freitag of West Grand High School – $2,500
- Kaylee Hoover of Middle Park High School – $2,500
- Savannah Martin of Colorado Early College – $3,000
- Taylor Martinson of West Grand High School – $3,000
- Riggen McKay of North Park High School – $3,000
- Van Mont of Middle Park High School – $2,500
- Dallas Morgan of North Park High School – $4,000
- Ellen Osborne – Non-traditional/continuing student – $2,500
- Nicole Periolat – Non-traditional/continuing student – $2,500
- Gavin Pittington of North Park High School – $2,500
- Christopher Reyes of North Park High School – $2,500
- August Roehrs of Middle Park High School – $3,000
- Kadin Starr of Middle Park High School – $4,000
- Teagan Trott of West Grand High School – $4,000
- Paige Vecchiarelli of Middle Park High School – $3,000
- Zandra Walker – Non-traditional student/continuing – $2,500
- Simon Wilcox of Middle Park High School – $2,500
- McKenzie Winchester – Non-traditional/continuing student – $3,500
The committee also awarded funds to two Trade School applicants:
- Jacob Zeleznkikar of Middle Park High School – $4,000
- Stella York of Middle Park High School – $2,500
In their required essays, the winning applicants shared stories of how in their childhoods they have overcome challenges and sometimes tragedies, but their hopes and dreams have remained in focus and were even inspired and enriched by their life experiences. They are going into a wide range of fields that include aerospace engineering, veterinary science, several in various medical professions, agriculture, sports medicine, and business.
Starting in 2024, MPE expanded the Scholarship Program to include three categories – Academic, Trade School, and Energy Industry. While funds remain available in the Trade School and Energy Industry categories, applications will continue to be accepted throughout 2025. Visit www.MPEI.com/Scholarships for more information.