Colorado School of Public Health Scholarship Celebration
Written by Laura Alsum
Nov 4, 2024
Financial assistance has historically been modest for graduate students, but scholarships can often be the deciding factor when someone is considering pursuing an advanced degree.
On Tuesday, October 1, the Colorado School of Public Health celebrated benefactors, scholarship recipients, and the impact of philanthropy, highlighting the vital role that scholarships have in a student’s future success and ultimately in the field of public health.
Almost 100 guests attended the reception, which was held at the University Club of Denver. Scott Arthur, Vice Chancellor of Advancement at CU Anschutz, kicked off the evening with words of gratitude to the benefactors, noting that when someone provides support through scholarships, not only are they gifting students with the ability to build a career, they’re also gifting individuals and communities with professionals who will help make tremendous advances in promoting physical, mental, social, and environmental health.
The Dean of the Colorado School of Public Health, Cathy Bradley, PhD, introduced the next speaker of the evening, Cynthia Somers. Ms. Somers decided to pursue her master’s degree to help find a cure for cancer after running the Boston Marathon to raise money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in honor of many of her loved ones. Ms. Somers graduated from the Colorado School of Public Health in 2012 with a focus in policy. Today, she works in compliance for a healthcare organization that provides home healthcare for former uranium workers and home nurse visits for clinical trials.
Ms. Somers is also a benefactor – through her estate planning, she decided to include the Colorado School of Public Health as part of her legacy by setting up a scholarship in her name. The scholarship is designated to students pursuing a career in mental health, another area that holds special significance to her. “There are so many possibilities when we try to envision a better mental healthcare system,” said Ms. Somers. “We can do this through policy, mental health emergency rooms, co-responders, more beds, translational research, novel therapies like virtual reality… the possibilities are endless. If I had stayed in academia, I would have pursued a PhD in Health Services Research. By setting up my scholarship, a future student may fulfill the path that I did not take. That warms my heart.”
Following Ms. Somer’s remarks, attendees heard from scholarship recipients Orion Zuni (CSU), Priscella Collins (CU Anschutz), and Peyton Eitemiller (UNC). They shared about their background, their interest in public health, and the impact that receiving a scholarship has had on them and their education.
The evening ended with closing remarks from Dean Bradley, who emphasized the benefit that scholarships have on the entire community as they support future leaders who are pioneering new, life-changing approaches to health.
