Colorado Mountain College eNews

By Carol Efting

About six years ago, Silt resident Raquel Villezcas was investigating going to college, but fear and finances held her back. She always wanted to go back to school, but she was married at 20 and started her family soon afterward. Time and money were always tight.

Last year, the 27-year-old mother of two got the supportive push she needed to pursue her dreams, as the recipient of the Chet Conlee Memorial GED Scholarship at Colorado Mountain College. She is studying early childhood education at the college’s West Garfield Campus in Rifle.

As the daughter of a pastor, Raquel grew up watching her family help others. She wants to give back, too, by studying to work in public schools with small children who have been through painful situations.

Raquel encourages other potential students to look past their fears and enroll in college. She said applying for scholarships through the Colorado Mountain College Foundation was easy.

The assistance that she received is thanks to one of more than 90 merit- or need-based scholarships available to students attending Colorado Mountain College, assistance made possible through donors supporting the CMC Foundation.

You can find an application for the 90-plus scholarships to attend Colorado Mountain College on the CMC Foundation Web page, by clicking “Scholarships” at www.cmcfoundation.org. March 15 is the deadline to apply for scholarships for the 2010-11 academic year.

The Chet Conlee fund was established by Pam Arsenault, former chief executive officer of the West Garfield Campus. It is named in memory of her father, who earned a GED after dropping out of high school. The scholarship assists students who completed a GED and plan to enroll half-time or more at the Rifle campus.

In addition to existing scholarships, several new scholarships are available for next year. The Cynthia Harrison-Reed Memorial Scholarship was established for students pursuing a degree in the visual arts, including graphic design and photography, and taking classes at our campuses from Carbondale to Rifle.

Two other scholarships of note are available to students at any campus. The new CMC Scholarships are for full- or part-time students, either traditional-college-aged or adult learners. The Helen K. and Arthur E. Johnson Foundation scholarships assist Colorado Mountain College students who are experiencing financial barriers while pursuing a higher education, and who plan to reside and work in Colorado after completing their degree or vocational program.

As coordinator of the scholarships available to all ages and types of Colorado Mountain College learners through the foundation, I welcome questions any time from current or prospective students and their parents.

The complete listing of CMC Foundation scholarships is available in hard copy at any Colorado Mountain College location or online on the scholarships page on the foundation Web site, at www.cmcfoundation.org.

Carol Efting is the CMC Foundation scholarship coordinator. For answers to your scholarship questions, contact her at cefting@coloradomtn.edu or 947-8355, or by calling Colorado Mountain College’s district office at 945-8691.

NOTE:  The Colorado Mountain College public information office staff worked with Carol Efting on this CMC Corner column, which was published in the Citizen Telegram in Rifle on March 4, 2010. Related, localized columns also were published in the Post Independent on March 8, 2010, and in the Summit Daily News on March 9, 2010.