Lake City School’s Jacee Lawrence Wins Prestigious Boettcher Scholarship…

For the first time in the history of Lake City, a local student has been awarded the prestigious Boettcher Scholarship.
Lake City Community School Senior Jacee Lawrence applied for the scholarship in the fall of 2018, along with 1,500 other hopefuls, and has been chosen as one of the lucky 42 who will receive tuition, fees, a book allowance and $2,800 per year toward living expenses for all four years of college to the Colorado college of choice.
Lawrence intends to attend Colorado Mesa University (CMU) in Grand Junction, majoring in Biology and minoring in Forensic Science. She intends to then continue on to medical school. She has maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout her entire high school career. She began attending Lake City Community School a few months into her freshmen year, after relocating to Lake City from Texas, where she lived with her parents, Sasha and Nicky O’Reagan. She left Texas to live with Grandparents Sharon Rogers and Ed Collins.
According to Katie Kramer, president and CEO of the Denver-based Boettcher Foundation, “Boettcher Scholars are selected for their academic achievement, outstanding character, and service and leadership in their schools and communities. The Boettcher Scholarship is an investment in our state’s future gamechangers. It not only recognizes their past achievements, but also their future impact on the State of Colorado.”
Tiffany Anderson, director of the scholarship program said, “The Boettcher Foundation’s scholarship selection process is competitive and rigorous. Jacee really stood out with her commitment both in and out of the classroom. We’re proud to have her representing the Boettcher community, and we look forward to seeing how her future leadership positively impacts the State of Colorado.”
Garret Mayberry of the Boettcher Foundation tells WORLD that each Boettcher Scholar is allowed to select the teacher they felt had the most impact on them during their high school years, Jacee has selected teacher and track coach Dan Scroggins for the honor.
Along with the Teacher Recognition Award, which includes a personalized plaque and a special tribute from Jacee, Scroggins will receive a $500 grant to be used toward an educational project, activity, professional development or a piece of equipment to benefit students and the school.
Mayberry said in an email to Scroggins, “We know that teaching is one of the most important and impactful jobs there is, and that you rarely get the recognition you deserve, so this award is our way of telling you how much we appreciate your continued dedication to your profession and commitment to your students.”
The Boettcher Scholarship was established in 1952, and introduces scholarship winners to a network of over 2,400 alumni and community leaders who support and engage them throughout their lifetimes.
When asked how she felt about winning the scholarship, Lawrence said she wanted to thank the Boettcher Foundation, “and everyone else who helped me in the process. I promise, I’ll do the best I can.”