Elizabeth Alsop is an undergraduate Business School Accounting student who received the Reisher Scholarship, and was a participant in the 2011 Celebration of Success event. She will be graduating this spring, in May 2013.

“My parents and I moved from Guatemala in 2008 with the hopes of accomplishing dreams of a better life. I put my education on hold to move and restart my Accounting Degree at the University of Colorado Denver. My plan was to work until I was able to afford to go to college and visit the scholarship office to inform myself of opportunities. I knew I had to find a way to pay for school and not incur in astronomical amounts of debt.

“Upon receiving the Reisher Scholarship, I was not only being helped financially but also emotionally. The scholarship had taken me into a supportive community that I could identify with. It also allowed me to participate in the Celebration of Success in 2011 where I gave a speech to communicate the importance of scholarships to students.”

Elizabeth’s presentation at the Celebration of Success discussed the impact the Reisher scholarship had on her ability to pursue a college education. Elizabeth and many other students with uncapped potential depend on scholarships to attend college and gain the education and skills they need to succeed. Each year the Business School gathers the top community and business leaders at Denver’s premier event, the Celebration of Success, helping raise essential support for student scholarships.

This year’s Celebration of Success will feature a keynote address from Alan Simpson, former US Senator from Wyoming (retired) and former Co-Chair of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (2010). To find out more about Celebration of Success and how to get involved, visit business.ucdenver.edu/celebration.