COLORADO SPRINGS — Graduating with crippling debt is a constant source of anxiety for many students, but one future grad has a lot less to worry about thanks to a scholarship program.
Aleah Ellis is headed to the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and plans to become a veterinarian. She graduated from Fountain Fort Carson High School, and has had over a 4.0 GPA her whole high school career.
"I've pushed myself to take those rigorous classes and challenge myself, and I always believed every student should," Ellis explained. "Those classes push you to really see your potential and your fullest ability," she said.
Ellis says she has a very supportive mom, and couldn't have succeeded without her. Kahilya Thomas, says she was very involved in her child's academics.
"Her counselors knew me by first name," Thomas explained. "I think a lot of times when kids get to high school parents slack sometimes, but they are still kids they still need guidance," Thomas explained.
With good grades and mom's help, Ellis was able to get into what's called the Elevate program, which helped her apply for scholarships. All that applying eventually paid off, because Ellis is now a Sachs Foundation Scholar.
The Sachs Foundation, an organization that has provided college scholarships to Black Coloradans since 1931, announced it has awarded $2.44 million in scholarships to talented Black students in Colorado over the past year. For more information, click here.
