Scholarships are important for students to help alleviate some of the financial burden of higher education. This year, the College of Health and Human Sciences awarded $623,000 in scholarships to 269 recipients. Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to the many donors who support students in the college through private scholarships!

Private scholarships can be funded by individuals such as alumni, or faculty and staff, as well as by corporations or foundations. Often, scholarships are set up in memory of a loved one, or to commemorate the legacy of a faculty member. Meet some of our students who received these generous scholarships and learn more about their aspirations and backgrounds as well as their words of gratitude.

Bowen Gray, Department of Construction Management

Bowen Gray is a senior majoring in construction management. Gray is the recipient of the John Keiley Memorial Scholarship. He grew up in Winter Park, Colorado, and spent his youth in theater programs, aviation camps, and in the outdoors. Gray enjoys working for companies who value sustainability. In the future, he hopes to open his own home building company with focus on sustainable building with a net-zero carbon footprint.

“I am so grateful to be a recipient of this scholarship,” said Gray. “It has been a struggle for me to continue through college, but I have been working hard to continue my education through these times. Sometimes, this means weeks where I do 30 hours of schoolwork while working 35 hours a week to stay afloat. This assistance will allow me to spend a little more time focusing on my schoolwork.”

Chelsey Beardsley, Department of Design and Merchandising

Chelsey Beardsley is a junior and first-generation student from Alaska majoring in interior architecture and design and minoring in construction management and design thinking. Beardsley is the recipient of the Sitzman Family Dreams to Design Scholarship. She is a third-generation Alaskan, born and raised in Anchorage. She grew up getting out into the mountains, fishing for salmon and halibut, and camping in the endless Alaskan midnight sun. She has previously attended art school in New York City and has already had a career before she returned to school. She has been pursuing her bachelor’s degree for almost ten years and is now in the home stretch of her program. She aspires to work on large-scale, complex healthcare and commercial projects after graduating. Her life goal is to design spaces so that she can leave them better than she found them.

“Thank you for your generous gift,” Beardsley said. “As a non-traditional student, I have faced many challenges and trials while waiting to return to school. It is gestures such as this that inspire me to keep working and confirms that all my patience has been worth the wait and I am on the right path. I look forward to being a donor myself one day and giving back.”

Kaitlin Dailey, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition

Kaitlin Dailey is a senior majoring in hospitality management, with a minor in business administration and the recipient of the Jack Lough and Dick Carlton Scholarship. She is from Superior, Colorado, where she grew up in a close-knit family and began her love of event planning working as a banquet server. She’s passionate about helping others and has already helped to independently coordinate and plan some of her close friends’ weddings. This past summer, she worked at Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Florida, and went on to participate in the College Disney Program in Orlando. Her other work experience includes a position as a pool operations intern at the Omni Interlocken Hotel in Broomfield, Colorado, and as event chairman of the Epsilon Beta chapter of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. In the future, Dailey aspires to plan weddings and events to put her clients’ minds at ease and ensure that they can truly enjoy their events.

“I cannot express to you how honored I am to receive this scholarship,” said Dailey. “It will help me graduate from college with less debt that will allow me to more fully pursue my aspirations. Thank you for not only giving me financial support but also your confidence and belief in me and my academic career at CSU. Your faith in me inspires me to continue to work to the best of my ability in my academics and pursue my passions knowing there are others also rooting for my success.”

Meadow Salazar, Department of Human Development and Family Studies

Meadow Salazar is a first-generation freshman hailing from Broomfield, Colorado, studying human development and family studies. Salazar is the recipient of the Shaun O’Brien Memorial Scholarship. She is the oldest of three daughters in her family, and fell in love with teaching young children when she volunteered at a bilingual school and had the opportunity to bring a smile to the students’ faces and see the impact she was having. In the future, she plans to work as a schoolteacher for kindergarten, first or second grade, and plans on completing her teacher licensure.

“Thank you so much for the gift of a lifetime,” said Salazar. “I am paying for college all by myself and this scholarship is just one step towards my future and is helping my dreams of becoming an elementary school teacher. Every little bit counts and I appreciate this so much! You will never know how much this truly means!”

Jonathan Almaraz Barrios, Department of Health and Exercise Science

Jonathan Almaraz Barrios is a senior and first-generation student majoring in health and exercise science with a concentration in sports medicine who grew up in the Vail Valley of Colorado. Barrios is the recipient of the Reach for Health Scholarship in Health and Exercise Science. In his youth, Barrios would snowboard, hike, and participate in other outdoor activities in the mountains. Over his high school career, he accumulated over 1000 hours of volunteer experience, as well as earning his associate degree and working a part-time job for three years. He currently is hoping to become a physician assistant after finishing his undergraduate and graduate studies.

“While this gift does so much to advance my education and open so many opportunities, it does one more thing that is just as important,” said Barrios. “It allows me to see that anything I set my mind to is possible. This gift allows me to realize the sky is the limit, and if I continue, I will be able to do anything I set my mind to along with so much more. Thank you for your gift and for believing in me.”

Ruta Stupple, Department of Occupational Therapy

Ruta Stupple is a master’s student in the Occupational Therapy Program who was born in Latvia but raised in Louviers, Colorado. Stupple is the recipient of the Anne Jubitz Munro Scholarship. After graduating from the University of Bridgeport where she studied religion and politics with minors in Arabic and psychology, Stupple lived in Jordan for a year, helping refugees to learn English, which is where she discovered her love for occupational therapy. Here at CSU, she’s a founding member of the Diverse OT chapter, with the aim of diversifying occupational therapy and increasing cultural competence within the field. When thinking about a future career, Stupple wants to be able to serve refugees, immigrants, and marginalized groups using her skills as an occupational therapist.

“I am sincerely grateful for your gift,” said Stupple. “I can never return the gift you have given me, but I can remember the kindness and support that I have received and offer that to someone else in need at a time when I am able. I cannot pay it back, but I will pay it forward. Receiving support to realize my dream to support others is part of a cycle of goodness that can make a real tangible difference in this world.”

Lauren Sheeks, School of Education, Department of Human Development and Family Studies

Lauren Sheeks is a senior from Louisville, Colorado, majoring in early childhood education and minoring in Spanish while working toward her teacher licensure. Sheeks is the recipient of the Jessica Chapel Dean Scholarship. Throughout her life, Sheeks has had lots of experience working with children including at elementary schools, day camps, and babysitting jobs. She enjoys traveling and has participated in several mission trips, including to the Dominican Republic, which has influenced her plans for the future. After graduating, she would like to begin a career as a second-grade teacher and create a non-profit for children in need.

“Thank you so very much for your gift of this scholarship,” said Sheeks. “Words cannot explain how much this means to me and I am so humbled to be a scholarship recipient. This scholarship has ensured that I will be graduating debt free, which is one of the best gifts I have ever received. It will help me continue to pursue my degree in early childhood education and will help me achieve my career goals more easily.”

Megan Hauschulz, School of Social Work

Megan Hauschulz is a master’s student in social work with a concentration in mental health. Hauschulz is the recipient of the Anne Andrews Scholarship for Mental Health Advocates. Hauschulz is the proud mother of two young children and raises them together with her husband of seven years. She is currently working in the field of substance addiction and plans to be a substance use counselor after obtaining her master’s degree. Her main career goal is to eventually open her own private practice in Loveland, Colorado, to serve underrepresented populations who are facing mental health issues and addiction.

“Thank you so much for this gift as it is going towards furthering my education so that I may in return help others who are struggling with mental health and substance use disorders,” said Hauschulz. “This generous gift will absolutely get me one step closer to opening my own practice to help serve this population.”

Gretchen Gerding, director of communications, contributed to this story.