In 2006 27 women received scholarships of $650-$700.

They are:

Georgi Aibner of Rifle, 52. The mother of two children, she is enrolled in the educational leadership graduate program at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. “My vision is to create learning environments where every student gains ownership and is actively engaged in his or her own learning process,” she says.

Laura Bibler of Boulder, 31. She left a position in corporate sales to enroll at Front Range Community College in Westminster. She now plans to pursue a Master’s of English degree at the University of Colorado at Boulder and become a middle- and high-school teacher. “I hope to pass on a legacy of responsibility and community to the next generation of leaders,” Ms. Bibler says.

Michelle Brooks of Longmont. A 35-year-old single mother, Ms. Brooks is a student in the accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at Regis University in Denver, where she has earned a 4.0 grade-point average. Her community health rotation includes work in urgent care and prenatal care and as a school nurse. “For me the gift of family and love, the goal of creating peace, and the joy of contributing positively to the planet by helping others are the things that made her scholars I value most,” she says.

April Cifuentes-Carrillo of Thornton. A 27-year-old mother of one, she attends Front Range Community College in Brighton and plans to attend the University of Denver and become a social worker. Ms. Cifuentes-Carrillo has earned a 3.8 grade point average while employed full time. She volunteers as an advocate for victims of domestic violence and with a program for petty offenders on probation. She says, “Being of Hispanic heritage and a woman, I understand the struggles and rewards there are for everyone in the world today, and without some sort of an education, opportunities seem few and far between. I want to change that now!”

Kathleen Close of Arvada, 49. Ms. Close stayed home mothering a blended family of seven children until she divorced and found herself, “at the age of 48, without a home and without marketable skills.” She is studying nursing at the Emily Griffith Opportunity School in Denver.

Rebecca Edwards of Pueblo West, 32. The mother of one child, she is working toward a master’s degree in special education at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. She works with students with mild to severe disabilities and wants to “do more.” “I want to work with kids on many different levels,” she says. “I want to help make a difference in their lives and prepare them for their future.”

Sara Francis of Aurora, 27. A student at the University of Denver, she is studying for a Master’s of Library and Information Science degree. “I am grateful for the opportunity to expand my skills to work in a library, where everyone is equal, regardless of income, status, or even sight. Public service, literacy and knowledge-these are my purpose in life,” she says.

Virginia Hendricks of Broomfield. Ms. Hendricks is a 26-year-old mother and student at the Utah College of Massage Therapy-Denver. She wants to own a yoga studio and practice massage. “By doing so I can help others help themselves through fitness and relaxation, a preventative medicine of sorts. My goal would be to help the world heal, one body at a time,” she says.

Jessica Hernandez of Northglenn, 28. Ms. Hernandez quit school at 16 when the first of her three children was born. Now single, she studies at Denver Career College in Thornton and plans to become a medical office specialist. “I am proud of the many obstacles I have been able to endure to get as far as I have,” she says.

Claire Johnston of Denver, 28. She currently has a 3.93 GPA at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work and has worked extensively with victims of domestic violence. With her master’s degree, Ms. Johnston hopes to be a more effective advocate for women and girls. “It is society’s responsibility to ensure that women and girls have their basic needs met, and the quality of the services should not suffer because of one’s lack of resources,” she says. “My return to school better equips me to empower women and girls.”

Skye Jones of Fort Collins, 26. Ms. Jones says she has found her passion: to be an orthopedic nurse at Poudre Valley Hospital. She expects to graduate in December from the University of Northern Colorado’s Accelerated Second Degree Nursing Program. “I am destined to become a nurse. I am a woman who is overflowing with the potential to make a profound and lasting positive influence in the field of nursing,” she says.

Anna Kaiser of Greeley, 45. The single mother of two adolescents, she studies radiology technology at Aims Community College in Greeley. Ms. Kaiser says that “being a nontraditional student with all its struggles has given me an opportunity to be a good example for my children. They see that it takes hard work and determination to achieve what you want in life.”

Gulnara LaFrance of Denver, 34. The single mother of one child, she attends the Colorado School of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Denver. She hopes to educate others about noninvasive treatments, food therapy, preventative medicine and healing herbs.

Sabina Letchford of Denver, 39. A single mother, Ms. Letchford suffered serious injuries as the victim of a violent crime. As a result, she has struggled with severe physical and learning disabilities, but she still maintains a B average. She studies human services, mental health and counseling at Metropolitan State College in Denver. She says, “I really appreciate life now and I took it for granted before (the attack). My motto is ‘if you woke up this morning, it’s a good day!’ … Not bad for a girl who wasn’t supposed to read ever again.”

Melissa Oliveras of Thornton, 27. The mother of three children, she already the first in her family to attend college, she hopes to earn a master’s degree. “I believe I have overcome statistics. This is something that at one time seemed to happen only in other people’s lives,” she says. She studies behavioral science at Metropolitan State College in Denver and hopes to work with at-risk youth.

Lucy Osius of Leadville, 40. The single mother of a four-year-old son, she is studying elementary education at the University of Colorado at Denver, where she has earned a 4.0 GPA. “I feel I am especially well equipped to deliver a message of tolerance and equality within the classroom, as I am single-handedly raising my son in a nontraditional, loving and educational home,” she says.

Estrella Price of Denver, 28. A single mother of a five-year-old son, Ms. Price plans to attend the University of Colorado at Denver and earn a bachelor’s degree in accounting. She says she learned through her parents’ struggles to strive for a better life. “My true goal is to be able to provide for my son. … My parents have shown me how to be driven yet compassionate. I feel these qualities are beneficial in a work environment, and I use these qualities everyday of my life,” she says.

Anne Quintanilla of Loveland. She decided to teach special education after she learned her son has autism. At 47, she plans to earn a master’s degree in special education from Regis University in Denver to supplement her bachelor’s degree in psychology. When her two other children, twin daughters, were first-graders, she returned to school with a new focus. She has volunteered as an assault counselor and a suicide prevention counselor and has been a licensed day-care provider.

Karen Ranieri of Denver, 27. Ms. Ranieri attends Pima Medical Institute in Denver where she has earned a 4.0 GPA. She plans to receive an Associate of Applied Sciences degree in radiology and then work in the cardiac catheterization laboratory at Penrose-St. Francis Medical Services in Colorado Springs. “It has been a long time since I have been as excited as I am right now about my future,” she says.

Robin Rooney of Longmont, 35. She is studying toward a Master’s of Landscape Architecture degree at the University of Colorado at Denver. She hopes to work someday on projects such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Prevention Initiative or similar devastated landscape recovery projects.

Ramona Schultz of Clifton, 40. The single mother of two children, she studies early childhood education at the Community College of Aurora. She is employed fulltime and takes on-line courses so that she can spend more time with her children.

Laura Stenger of Colorado Springs, 37. Ms. Stenger is a single mother of three and a student at Regis University in Denver, where she has earned a 4.0 GPA. Her goal is to complete the Master of Education degree program at Regis and teach elementary-school students. “I want to directly impact the lives of my students year after year. My long-term goal is to see the students I have taught become standouts in society. But if I can achieve only one thing, it would be to show my own children that despite one’s circumstances, anything is possible with a lot of hard work and perseverance,” she says.

Adriel Wallace of Colorado Springs, 27. A single mother of three children, she attends Colorado Christian University in Colorado Springs and is working toward a Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education. She wants to work with at-risk children and those with special needs. “If we put more emphasis into children from birth to age 8, we would see a dramatic decrease in the numbers of children who struggle later,” she says.

Jill Wock of Evans, 44. Neither her parents nor her husband would allow her to continue her education after high school. Now with three children, she attends the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley and plans to complete a certification program in physical education. Later, she hopes to earn a graduate degree. “I can see myself as a principal of a school someday,” she says.

Three other scholarship recipients prefer to remain anonymous.