Congratulations to our four amazing seniors who earned the Daniels Fund Scholarship! As Daniels Scholars, these students will have the full cost of attendance (tuition, room and board, books, etc.) covered at partner colleges and universities in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. If they choose to attend outside of the four-state region, they’ll receive up to $25,000 per year toward their college expenses. Learn more about our incredible scholars!
Juliana Marquez - Aurora Central High School
A self-described “artsy kid,” Juliana loves just about everything with visual and performing arts. Pressed to name her favorites, Juliana shared that she is most passionate about creative writing and photography. As Aurora Central’s valedictorian, she enjoys taking concurrent enrollment courses to help prepare her for college. She plans to attend either the University of Denver or Metropolitan State University of Denver and is leaning toward majoring in journalism or photography.
Juliana’s love for the arts also extends to her participation in the honor choir at Aurora Central. A well-rounded student, she has also played for her high school’s softball and tennis teams. When she’s not busy training her camera lens to capture unique images of her community, you’ll see her riding her longboard both to and from school. Juliana said she has tried to experience as much as possible during high school and live by her motto which is “regret is the most useless emotion.”
Ryan Djaber - Rangeview High School
Graduating in Rangeview’s Top Ten, Ryan has excelled in academics. His favorite subject is STEM and he loves taking computer science and physics classes from his favorite teacher, Mr. Petry. Outside of the classroom, Ryan has competed on Rangeview’s soccer, volleyball and track teams. After graduating, he’ll attend CU Boulder where he’ll study electrical engineering with a goal of working to improve designs and accessibility for bionic limbs.
Ryan attributes much of his drive to succeed to his family. His older brother, Nabil, first paved the way as a Daniels Scholar. His parents emigrated from Algeria and his father washed dishes in a diner when first coming to America. As a first-generation college student, Ryan said the Daniels Fund will make his career goals possible. “It was so emotional knowing that I don’t have to stress about it anymore,” Ryan said. “I now have the platform so that I can go to a college that I wouldn’t have been able to go to previously. It’s going to change my life for sure.”
Lidia Mulugeta - Rangeview High School
Lidia sums up her high school experience in just one word: service. Her favorite high school memory? Working on Rangeview’s Fall Festival with her fellow Interact club members to raise money to help a village in Kenya. Interact is a service club sponsored by Rotary International and is where Lidia feels most at home. “I’m someone who likes to help people,” she said. “I really just want to do as much as I can to help those around me and to help better my community.”
Lidia is the second child in her family to earn the Daniels scholarship, following in the footsteps of her older sister, Elshaddai. Her parents emigrated from Ethiopia and taught her from a young age that anything is possible. A Top Ten student, Lidia has big goals and will major in biology and global health at Northwestern University. After finishing her undergrad work, she plans to attend medical school to become a pediatrician.
Yahir Moreno Sanchez - Rangeview High School
No dream is too big for Yahir. And what dream is bigger than exploring outer space? That’s right. Yahir’s career goal is to become an astronaut. He’ll study aerospace engineering at CU Boulder, which is a pretty good place to be if you want to work in space. The University of Colorado system has produced 20 astronauts. Yahir’s goal is to become number 21.
As a first-generation college student, Yahir humbly expressed amazement at how far he has come. His family is from Mexico and he lives with several extended family members, including his grandmother and two aunts. He got his first job at 16 to help support his family and is now so grateful that the burden of paying for college is gone. “This will make a huge difference in my family,” Yahir said. “It means I can repay all that they gave me. I can actually shoot for the stars now with the help of the Daniels Fund.”