Five more Colorado students — some afraid of needles and one who thought he was being targeted in a kidnapping scheme — were awarded $50,000 scholarships from the state in exchange of receiving their COVID-19 vaccine.
The scholarship program, an offshoot of the state’s Colorado Comeback Cash giveaway, is another incentivized push to encourage Colorado residents to receive their COVID-19 inoculation. Friday’s drawing means 10 of the 25 allotted scholarship winners have been called thus far.
Friday’s winners are Sabine Manske, 17, of Littleton; Hannah Blackman, 17, of Golden; Levi T. of Boulder; Brady Roland, 16, of Arvada; and Zen Ottensen, 17, of Parker.
Levi said during the news conference that he was so surprised by the notification that he won that he assumed it was a scam or even a potential kidnapping plot.
“Now I know it’s not a scam, and my parents are very grateful because now they have a way to pay for my college,” Levi said.
Manske plans to use her scholarship as she heads to Kenyon College with an interest in biology. The teen said she learned about the vaccine development in school and read up on the science behind the shot so she felt safe.
Blackman, who dreams of attending the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, received an award from her high school for helping those struggling with mental health during the pandemic. Roland overcame her fear of needles to get the shot, which has since allowed her to go on vacation. Otteson got the shot so he could travel across the country touring colleges.
“I embraced science,” Blackman said.
Five winners from across the state were announced last week, and new winners will be chosen every week through July 9.
To be eligible to win the new scholarships, students must be Colorado residents between the ages of 12 and 17 and have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
The money will be placed in the winning students’ CollegeInvest funds, where it will be invested and earn more money over time. The money can be used for in-state or out-of-state colleges and universities, as well as technical, occupational or credential programs, Polis said.
Students who have been inoculated since the vaccines first arrived in Colorado in December are eligible, so there is no need to register for entry. Coloradans can check their COVID-19 vaccination records using the Colorado Immunization Information System database.
Money for the cash and scholarship prizes in the Colorado Comeback Cash program comes from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, known as the CARES Act, passed by Congress in March 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic.
