Del Norte students receive recognition

DEL NORTE— Del Norte High School is pleased to announce two of their students have received full scholarships to college and one dedicated student will graduate from not only high school, but with an associate’s degree from Trinidad State Junior College as well. “We are very proud of these students. They have worked very hard over the last several years,” said school Counselor Michelle Romero.
Annarose Phelps is the 2017 Daniels Scholar. She is the second person from Del Norte to receive this high achievement and has plans to further her education in the state of Colorado. Phelps is going to graduate with 30 college credits that she was able to earn through the college outreach program offered by Del Norte Schools. Phelps attended an online college for the past two years, earning her extra credits for the future she has in store.
The energetic teen has high ambitions that she will no doubt reach after graduating in May. “I am going to do my first year of cellular and molecular biology at Adams State University in Alamosa and finish the last three years of my bachelor’s degree at the University of Denver,” explained Phelps. After partaking in a volunteer position at Sweet Tooth Dental in Alamosa and seeing the need for dentists in rural communities, Phelps decided that she wanted to be a dentist.
“I saw how some of the children would come in and have bad hygiene because their parents didn’t teach it or they couldn’t afford to go to the dentist. So, I decided that I wanted to get my degree, come back to the Valley and open my own clinic where I can offer free and affordable dental,” said Phelps. Through the program at Sweet Tooth Dental, Phelps was also able to utilize a program offered through Valley-Wide Health Systems to pay off her student debt that she has accumulated so far.
The scholarship through the Daniels Fund is a full ride scholarship to any college in Colorado. “What fascinated me about the scholarship is the community that comes with it. When I go to school, there will be other Daniels Fund students there to help support me and I can help support them,” explained Phelps.
She recalled the day she received her letter from the Daniels Fund with tears of joy in her eyes, “I was at the college and my mom came to get me with the letter. I was so afraid to open it. When I did, the first thing I saw was ‘Congratulations’ and I looked at my mom and said ‘I got it mom. I got in’.”
Bailey Jones was awarded a four-year scholarship offered through the San Luis Valley Rural Electric Cooperative. The scholarship will allow Jones to attend Adams State for a four-year degree and pays tuition fees as well books for the duration of her degree. Jones explained that she is going to focus on sociology with an emphasis on criminology. “I have always been very interested in criminology. I will be the first in my family to pursue this type of career,” said Jones.
Though Jones did not receive funding to aid in living expenses, she did not stop there. “I applied for several other grants and was awarded three more so I can live on campus,” explained Jones. She received a merit scholarship, a valedictorian scholarship and the Grizzly scholarship, all which will help with her living expenses.
When asked what she planned to do after she graduates, Jones explained that because her family is in the Valley she plans on staying close by. “It is good to get out and experience things, but I plan on staying close.”
The next student spent her high school career focusing on college and will graduate from college mere weeks before receiving her high school diploma. Devin Dallas will be one of the first students to receive an Associate of the Arts while still in high school. “I paid for my books, but otherwise the school pays for the rest,” explained Dallas. She plans on going to the University of Montana in the fall to pursue her career in cell biology or neuroscience. “I got my interest in neuroscience when my dad had a major brain bleed. It was one of the worst any doctor had ever seen and he recovered,” she explained.
Dallas decided to attend the college in Montana because of the people and family that she has in the area. When asked what the most difficult part of her choice was, she responded, “Managing my time— I was juggling school, sports and school activities at one time.” Dallas continued to say that if she were to give advice to her fellow underclassman, she would say that it is very important to manage the time and resources at the school.
The three students have bright futures ahead and are all very eager to begin their life journey. From the community, teachers and staff at the school Congratulations!