December 2025 Student Spotlight: Sarahy Quintana Trejo
Sarah Quintana Trejo took a leap of faith on going to college – and it paid off. Quintana Trejo was a first-generation college student looking for guidance on her next steps after graduating from Eaton High School in 2018. She got accepted into Colorado State University and received a Pell Grant, scholarships from CSU and […]
November 2025 Student Spotlight: Claire Pepin
For Windsor resident Claire Pepin, the Bright Futures program offered more than just tuition assistance, the community service requirement also gave her a new perspective. “Through my volunteering hours, I had the opportunity to connect with my community and that pushed me to be more involved,” Pepin said. “I hope to carry that lesson through […]
September 2025 Student Spotlight: Kelani Kephart
Kelani Kephart was at Windsor Charter Academy when she heard about the Bright Futures scholarship. Now, a junior at Colorado State University, she has taken full advantage of the scholarship and the opportunities it brings – including a 6-week paid internship. “The scholarship has helped a lot,” Kephart said. “But I also get emailed a […]
August 2025 Student Spotlight: Kira McOuat
With the help of the Bright Futures scholarship, Windsor High School graduate Kira McOuat accomplished a big feat. “I was able to graduate nursing school debt-free, which is almost unheard of.” McOuat said. McOuat began her college studies in Arizona and after two years transferred to Aims Community College to finish her nursing degree. Bright […]
July 2025 Student Spotlight: Caleb Sandoval
Growing up, Caleb Sandoval always excelled at math. By the time he got to Greeley West High School he had already taken high school math classes in middle school. Heading into college at the University of Northern Colorado a friend was signing up for science classes and he thought, “sure, why not.” Fast forward four […]
June 2025 Student Spotlight: Brig Hartson
Brig Hartson of Johnstown heard about Bright Futures through his high school counselors and through friends who had already applied. “I decided to apply for Bright Futures because it aligned perfectly with my values,” he said in an email to Bright Futures. “I’ve always believed in giving back to the community, and the scholarship’s emphasis […]
May 2025 Student Spotlight: Kailen Yost
Spend five minutes with Kailen Yost and you will see she is a smart, talented, driven woman who has worked hard to get where she wants to be. Kailen began the process to get her real estate license when she was a freshman at Colorado State University. By the end of that year, she had […]
April 2025 Student Spotlight: Kathryn Broderius
Although careers in education were a staple in Kathryn’s family, she was adamant she wasn’t going to be a teacher. But now in her first year at Tointon Academy in Greeley, Kathryn can’t imagine not teaching. “It’s very fulfilling. I love being able to have a positive impact on students’ lives,” she said about teaching. […]
March 2025 Student Spotlight: Megan Freeman
Taking college courses during high school helped Megan Freeman get a jump start on her post-secondary education. After graduating from Frontier High School in 2022, with a full year of college credit to her name, Megan continued classes at Aims before transferring to UNC. Although she hadn’t determined a definite career direction, she decided to […]
February 2025 Student Spotlight: Owen Spooner
Born and raised in Greeley, Owen Spooner attended Frontier Academy and UNC and now works on the implementation team at Connecting Point—a locally owned IT services provider. Bright Futures helped Owen with one of his goals after high school. “A goal of mine was to get out of school debt-free, and Bright Futures helped a […]