The Colorado Water Conservation Board is pleased to oversee a $2000 one-year scholarship for a Colorado high school student or a Colorado college freshman interested in western water issues and planning to attend a public college or university in Colorado.
Diane Hoppe served in the Colorado House of Representatives from 1999-2006 and was the chairwoman of the House Agriculture, Livestock & Natural Resources Committee, the Water Interim Committee, and the Water Resources Review Committee. She also served as the minority whip. Diane was a founding member of the Colorado Foundation for Water Education and served as president from 2002-07. Governor Hickenlooper appointed Diane to the Colorado Water Conservation Board as the South Platte Basin representative in 2012. She was elected chairwoman of the board in 2015. Diane passed away on February 27, 2016. Her family worked with the Colorado Water Conservation Board to establish this scholarship in her honor.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who is eligible?
• Students who will be graduating from high school in the spring of 2025 and are planning to attend a trade school, technical school, community college, or a four-year accredited college in Colorado.
• Students who are currently in their freshmen year (or first year) of trade school, technical school, community college, or a four-year accredited college in Colorado.Additional Criteria:
• Students must be currently enrolled in good standing in a high school, trade school, technical school, community college, or a four-year accredited college in Colorado.
• High school students must only have one year of education left before their high school graduation date.
• Students must be interested in the topic of Western water.
• Recipients must be willing to attend at least one meeting of the Colorado Water Conservation Board to make a presentation to the board, after their first year of higher education, describing how their academic pursuits have impacted their interest in or knowledge of water.Preference given to:
• Students interested in pursuing a career in water or water-related fields.
• Students demonstrating leadership in Western water issues or water-related issuesPlease note that applicants who are related to a member of the scholarship selection committee or a Colorado Water Conservation Board employee or board member are not eligible to apply.
- How can I apply?
- For an application to be considered complete you must include the following:
• Completed application form (make sure both you and your parent/guardian sign the application form)
• Answer all of the short essay questions on a separate sheet of paper
• Transcript(s) of all completed high school work
• A minimum of one recommendation Letter Submit all items in one packet.
- Email the application form and all required items in one packet to cole.bedford@state.co.us.
- For an application to be considered complete you must include the following:
- What can the money be used for?
One $2000 scholarship will be awarded this year through a competitive process. Applicants may use this scholarship to attend a trade school, a technical school, a community college, or a 4-year college in Colorado. Awards can be used toward tuition and fees for full-time or part-time study. Scholarship money must be used within 2 years of the date that the students were notified that they have won an award. Awards will be paid directly to the recipient’s school.
- What is the selection process?
Applicants will be notified of selection by June 30, 2024. The scholarship recipient(s) must work with the Colorado Water Conservation Board staff to schedule their presentation to the board describing how their academic pursuits have impacted their interest in or knowledge of water. This presentation will be scheduled after the recipient’s first year of higher education.