This year’s Neil Armstrong Scholarship recipient is Telluride High School senior, Ruby Tanguay.  She will be attending the University of Washington and has been accepted into the school of engineering, although she is still undecided as to what type of engineering she will pursue. “While I have enjoyed each and every one of my classes over the past four years, said Tanguay, “the one that has impacted me the most is physics. I have never before taken a class that challenges and reshapes my understanding the way physics does.”  According to Tanguay, the one STEM activity she participated in that has been the most impactful was volunteering for Pinhead once a week, helping with an afterschool program for ages K – 3.

Tanguay was chosen out of a pool of outstanding applicants from five school districts, based on her exceptional academic merit, extracurricular activities, and passion for STEM. Tanguay has also been very active in extra-curricular activities during high school, including track, ski club, and gymnastics all while pursuing a rigorous workload while at Telluride High School, including numerous Advanced Placement (AP) courses.

This year, the Scholarship Committee also selected Sean Hart, a senior at Ouray High School, for the Neil Armstrong Scholar Recognition Prize.  This award is given to for a top academic student, who lacks financial need and, therefore, does not qualify for the academic and need based scholarship.  The Committee chose to recognize Hart who will be attending Colorado School of Mines to either mechanical or environmental engineering.  Adrian has top academic scores, and has also been very active in his community, volunteering over 144 hours rebuilding, shaping, and maintaining local trails. Hart will receive a one-time, prize payment of $4,000.

The Neil Armstrong Scholarship Fund was created by friends and family of Neil Armstrong to honor the achievements and character of the late American hero and astronaut who died in 2012.  The Neil Armstrong Scholarship is awarded each year to a regional high school student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM). Seniors in five local school districts are eligible to apply.

For more information on the Neil Armstrong Scholarship Fund and the Telluride Foundation, please go to www.telluridefoundation.org and click on “Our Work” and then “Donor Stewardship.”  The Telluride Foundation is committed to enriching the quality of life of the residents and workforce of the Telluride region. It is a nonprofit, apolitical public community foundation that makes grants and runs programs in arts, education, health and human services, community development, and social enterprise. The Foundation strives to achieve excellence for the community through its mission and core values, including promoting inclusion and maximizing benefit to all. Our work is funded through the generous support of hundreds of donors as well as grants from state and national foundations. Please visit www.telluridefoundation.org.