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Each year, Vail Valley Foundation’s YouthPower365 Valley Scholars helps local high school seniors get a step closer to their dreams. On Wednesday, May 15, YouthPower365 awarded 47 Eagle County students with over $680,000 in scholarships from local funds and organizations at Brush Creek Pavilion in Eagle.
High school seniors from Battle Mountain High School, Eagle Valley High School, Red Canyon High School, Vail Mountain School and Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy were honored for their achievements while giving them support for what’s next.
“You all inspire us every year with your dedication and your hard work; it gives us hope for the future to come,” said Rachel Tjossem, YouthPower365’s senior manager of college and career readiness.
YouthPower365’s Valley Scholars — formerly known as Dollars for Scholars — program has grown significantly since its launch 11 years ago. Steve Coyer, who currently serves on the Vail Valley Foundation board, commented Wednesday that it has grown from $140,000 in scholarships offered in its first year to well over $600,000 this year.
Students who completed the Valley Scholars application this year were eligible for 18 scholarships, each with their criteria, considerations and requests from the scholarship donors.
This year, four new scholarships were available for students. This included the Smith Family Scholarship donated by Garrett and BJ Smith for students pursuing either an associate, vocational or trade degree as well as The Wilson Family Performing Arts Scholarship awarded to a performing arts student. The Leslie Scholarship was also new this year, donated by Pam and Dan Pennington, in honor of their friend, Leslie.
“Leslie is a lifelong friend of ours who is an advocate for children both in and out of the classroom with a zest for life and a great sense of humor,” said Pam Pennington on Wednesday. “The scholarship is intended for a Battle Mountain High School senior who’s involved in the community and extracurriculars and embodies similar qualities.”
This year’s final new scholarship was the Addison Smith Memorial Scholarship, donated by Dr. Thomas Clanton from the Steadman Clinic to honor the memory of Addison Smith, a former Battle Mountain graduate who was killed in a car accident in 2021.
Presenting the scholarship on Wednesday, Clanton shared that the award will honor her memory as a “Battle Mountain female scholar and athlete who made a profound impact on others.”
Clanton shared the lasting impression Smith had made while pursuing an interest in the medical field while studying at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and participating in a rotational program at The Steadman Clinic. 
“We interviewed five outstanding young ladies, any of whom could have been selected. This first year, however, is unique,” Clanton said of the scholarship.
“One candidate met the scholarly requirement as well as being an award-winning track athlete — and thus she’s at the state meet (tonight). She also reflected the quality of her sister in being without bias. It seems fitting that this first presentation of the Addison Smith Scholarship would go to her younger sister, Presley Smith.”
Over the years, the scholarship program has grown not only in scholarships offered but also in what pathways they support.
“We’ve continued to see the changing trends of what types of opportunities students are looking for after high school and have noticed more and more students looking at other degree options,” Tjossem said in an interview with the Vail Daily. “Students are just starting to get more savvy about what type of education should they be seeking after high school, and whether the type of work that they’re looking to do requires a four-year degree.”
The organization has worked with “the community and different donors to make sure we’re addressing those needs through scholarship funds,” she added.
In addition to differing paths, the scholarships also honor the diversity of students and their interests. Scholarships specifically honor student-athletes, high-achieving female students, members of the LGBTQ+ community, first-generation students, those interested in natural resource management, performing arts and more as well as many others.
This year, Battle Mountain Senior Kevin Cruz was one of eight students to receive the YouthPower365 scholarship.
This scholarship was created in 2022 with the support of Steve and Amy Coyer. The scholarship supports students pursuing both two-year and four-year degrees, providing whatever funding is needed to help get students to college.
“We try to have kids get out of school with no debt because it gives you a ton more freedom. We try to give them their last dollars,” said Amy Coyer.
Cruz has been engaged in YouthPower365 programs since preschool when he was a student in their Magic Bus program. Over the years, he’s stayed engaged with the organization, even serving as an intern for them in high school. It’s given him skills in networking and meeting people but also helped him with a lot of self-discovery.  
Cruz said YouthPower365 has helped him “find a passion for what I want to go for in a career and really figure out who I am and what my goals are.”
Cruz will be attending Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction in the fall, pursuing a degree in business administration, which he hopes to apply to a future career that connects to his passion for environmental sustainability.
“I’m really grateful for this scholarship. It takes a lot of the financial burden off and it’s a really big help for my family. And a lot of the connections that I’m going to make throughout the process of being a recipient will really benefit me in the long run,” Cruz said.
In the coming years, as Vail Valley Foundation launches a large capital campaign for its various programs, the goal includes raising $5 million to support the YouthPower365 Scholarship fund and increase the number of students it can support with the scholarships, Steve Coyer said.
The localized nature of Valley Scholars makes it unique among the thousands of scholarships out there, allowing community members to help give the younger generation a leg up.
“We’re a community of extremes; there are people here who have lots of resources and feel that the best investment they can make is in the next generation or two of citizens,” said Dave Eickholt.
Eickholt and his wife created one of the scholarships, the Hopper Scholarship, 16 years ago to pay forward a similar generosity he received as a high school graduate. As he prepared to go to college, Eickholt was given a “very generous scholarship” from a widow in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
“It enabled me to go to a school that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to. And it opened up my eyes and showed me doors I didn’t know existed,” he added.
Now with the Hopper Scholarship, they are helping open these doors for local students. This scholarship is awarded each year to high-achieving students who are in financial need and have a “serious commitment to serious study,” Eickholt added.
Tjossem described this year’s group of recipients as smart, savvy, determined, persistent and resilient.
“This cohort of students were coming into their high school experience in a post-COVID world, and that changed education pretty drastically,” she said, adding that the group had to navigate FAFSA delays and hurdles and cut programs at the state level as they pursued their post-secondary options.
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“So the determination of students to continue to pursue their goals despite some really big changes in the world of higher education has been very impressive to see for this group,” Tjossem said.
Eickholt described this year’s cohort as “remarkable people.”
“Through your leadership, you have made your schools better. Through your volunteer service, you have made our communities better. So as you go up to college, don’t lose that habit of giving back and paying forward, especially once you’re out of college,” he added.
Crissa Lea Swinford Memorial Scholarship
Awarded to: Lily Suman (Battle Mountain)
Ed and Margo Lupberger Scholarship
Awarded to: Perla Chavez (Battle Mountain), Edgar Ruiz Alaniz (Battle Mountain), Armando Fuentes (Eagle Valley), Victoria Serna (Eagle Valley), Jazmine Lopez (Eagle Valley) and Fabrsicio Gonzalez (Eagle Valley)
Eric Spry Memorial Scholarship
Awarded to: Kira Hower (Battle Mountain)
Girl PowHER Scholarship
Awarded to: Dulce Orona Castaneda (Battle Mountain)
Hopper Scholarship
Awarded to: Sadie Hoiland (Eagle Valley)
Land and Rivers Fund Scholarship
Awarded to: Ryan O’Connor (Battle Mountain)
Mountain Pride Scholarship
Awarded to: Bodie LaCross (Battle Mountain) and Jackie Lane (Eagle Valley)
The Addison Smith Memorial Scholarship
Awarded to: Presley Smith (Battle Mountain)
The Leslie Scholarship
Awarded to: Anna Glass (Battle Mountain)
The Smith Family Scholarship
Awarded to: Maria Flores (Battle Mountain), Kevin Mayorga (Eagle Valley), Karla Ordonez (Eagle Valley) and Adriana Almanza (Red Canyon)
The Wilson Family Performing Arts Scholarship
Awarded to: Mackenzie Abbott (Eagle Valley)
Tom and Margaret Edwards Scholarship
Awarded to: Jonathan Escobar (Eagle Valley)
Vail Health Employee Dependant Scholarship
Awarded to: Isabel Applegate (Battle Mountain), Carter Youngblood (Battle Mountain), Rylee Sharkey (Eagle Valley) and Henry Pratt (Vail Mountain School)
Vail Valley Business Women Scholarship
Awarded to: Daira Garcia (Battle Mountain), Callie Koellhoffer (Battle Mountain), Brooke Baker (Battle Mountain), Melissa Luna (Battle Mountain), Aliyah Hernández (Eagle Valley), Alexis Merck (Eagle Valley), Daisy Becerra (Eagle Valley), Avery Beran (Eagle Valley), Paige Rosener (Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy)
WIN Impact Trade School Scholarship
Awarded to: Bekhruz Khonturaev (Battle Mountain) and Elias Pena (Eagle Valley)
WIN Impact University Scholarship
Awarded to: Magdalina Goranova (Battle Mountain), Alessandra Medrano (Eagle Valley) and Leslie Hernandez (Vail Mountain School)
YouthPower365 Trade School Scholarship
Awarded to: Erik Aguirre (Battle Mountain), Bernabe Lopez Cano (Eagle Valley) and Axel Ortega (Eagle Valley)
YouthPower365 University Scholarship
Awarded to: Dalia Ledezma (Battle Mountain), Fernanda Jove (Battle Mountain), Kevin Cruz Ramos (Battle Mountain), Valeria Luevanos (Eagle Valley) and Joel Alvarez (Eagle Valley)










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