Taia Nykerk, Glenwood Springs High School, 11th Grade

Taia wants to expand the Outdoor Education Club at GSHS by sharing her experience of climbing Colorado’s 14ers, impressively having summited all but three to date. She hopes to recruit her peers, increasing diversity and representation in the outdoors. With her scholarship, Taia plans on bridging the gap of who can participate by covering safety gear, gas, food, etc. making the club more accessible to her classmates.

Jacob Sam, Colorado Rocky Mountain School, 11th Grade

Jacob will use his Dream Project funds to take Navajo language and government classes with the goal of applying to the Chief Manuelito Scholarship, a prestigious program for Navajo students that provides financial support for higher education while protecting and preserving Navajo tradition and culture.

Jaxson Borich, Yampah Mountain High School, 11th Grade

Jaxson’s dream is to give back to others while learning and growing. He plans to refurbish a dirtbike to give to a neighbor, allowing her easier access to nearby transportation. Jaxson will be mentored by a mechanic in the hopes of gaining useful skills for possible future employment.

Kai Young, Colorado Rocky Mountain School, 12th Grade

Kai’s dream is to share her passion for climate change education by making a documentary film featuring ranchers and exploring their views on climate change. Using her connection to ranchers in Kremmling, CO, she hopes to bridge the gap between ranchers and environmentalists.

Edgerrin Dreamer, Glenwood Springs High School, 10th Grade

Edgerrin, a sophomore at Glenwood Springs High School, is wildly passionate about playing classical guitar. Using his Dream Project funds, Edgerrin aims to study classical guitar technique under Professor Adam Holzman at the University of Texas Austin, as well as attend the Berklee College of Music summer sessions for jazz guitar.

Abigail Campos, Roaring Fork High School, 12th Grade

This past summer, Abigail had the opportunity to travel to the continent of Africa for the McBride internship. For her Dream Project, Abigail wants to bring this experience to the students of the Roaring Fork Valley via film. In concert with other local McBride alumni, she will create a short film highlighting their experiences and lessons learned along the way.

​​Ava Lerner-Sprunt, Colorado Rocky Mountain School, 12th Grade

Ava's dream is to work with the Máximo Nivel program in Costa Rica, teaching English to eager students. Having worked locally with English in Action, Ava would like to share her newly acquired skills, expanding her own boundaries, by volunteering in a country she has never been to.

Julia Gressett, Roaring Fork High School, 12th Grade

Julia is an accomplished pianist and for her project, she will be pursuing her passion to create and execute a local piano competition. This competition will be part of her larger high school capstone project at Roaring Fork High School.

Gineescia Vazquez, Yampah Mountain High School, 10th Grade

Inspired by visual art, Gineescia will have the opportunity to pursue her passion for photography. Her grant will allow her to buy a camera and take online classes teaching her the basic tenets of composure.

Makai Yllanes

Makai Yllanes is a rising junior who wants to create a summer program for underserved middle school students in the valley that would allow them to learn how to rock climb. A passionate climber himself, Makai hopes to show these students how climbing can be a great way to explore the world around them and connect with a healthy outdoor community.

Ellie Urfrig and Willa Schendler

Ellie Urfrig and Willa Schendler hope to bring awareness for environmental causes to their senators and representatives. They will utilize their project grant to organize and invite other environmental clubs from schools across the Roaring Fork Valley, to take several trips to Denver to lobby on the Capital surrounding environmental issues that affect us all.

Bryn Peterson

Bryn Peterson will be leaning on his love of film, and science to create a documentary series about Geology. His focus will be on the origin of local geological features and his goal is to have a widely accessible learning resource for anyone who shares a passion for local geology. This series will highlight all of the geological marvels that are prevalent in our valley.

Angelika Minoli

Angelika Minoli is a rising senior whose dream is to create a documentary about the refugee crisis in her native Greece. She plans to highlight individual refugee stories as well as get input from Greek government officials to present a complete picture of the situation and the overall impact that COVID-19 has had on this already vulnerable group.

Emma Boucher

Emma Boucher will be a senior in the fall, and what she aspires to do is to perform! For her Dream Project she will be engaging in Theater Aspen’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She hopes this will be another steppingstone on her path to pursuing musical theater as a career and is beyond eager to share her passion of theater with the Roaring Fork Valley.

Emma Hostetler

Emma Hostetler plans to use art to inspire awareness and action toward societal problems that local teens are passionate about. She will champion the creation of a mural painted in addition to herself, by local teen artists, with each person focusing on a section dedicated to an issue they are passionate about. This mural will leave a local legacy of advocacy and justice for these young painters.