Austin Brubaker has her pick of where she would like to go to college, especially now that she’s been awarded a third prestigious scholarship to help cover the cost of tuition.
The Silver Creek High School senior was one of 60 students nationwide to win a Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship this year, to receive up to $55,000 annually to cover the cost of her undergraduate education.
“It was just, I don’t know, kind of amazing to just think that I was given this opportunity,” Brubaker said.
The Cooke College Scholarship Program seeks to help high-achieving students with financial need earn a college degree. In addition to substantial financial support, scholars receive ongoing academic coaching and advising, graduate school and career advising and access to a network of thriving and motivated peers in the Cooke Scholar community.
Scholars will also receive opportunities for internships, study abroad and access to graduate school funding.
“This year’s college scholarship applicants are full of potential and determination,” said Seppy Basili, executive director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. “We congratulate them and look forward to seeing how the next steps in their educational journeys unfold.”
This is not the first major scholarship Brubaker has received — she was also named for the Boettcher and Daniels Scholarships.
Before winning the Cooke Scholarship, University of Colorado Boulder was Brubaker’s top option. Now she’s looking at the other schools she’s been accepted into, including Harvard, Princeton, Stanford and Dartmouth.
“I’m looking at all these options to just kind of see what my best fit is,” she said.
Brubaker said her biggest interest is volunteering, which she considers one of her core values.
“(I believe in) giving to people as they would give to you, or contributing in any way possible, even if it’s not necessarily financial means,” she said. “You can give your talents, your time, your efforts. I’ve been volunteering since I was honestly probably three years old.”
Brubaker has also been class president for the last three years and serves as president of the Longmont Youth Council.
She’s not sure yet what she wants to study or do with her degree, though she’s drawn toward business or economic fields.
“With that I can eventually do whatever I want or maybe hopefully one day start a nonprofit for girls in business because I know that there aren’t too many opportunities in my community right now for that, so I kind of want to promote that in my community,” she said.
