Gov. Jared Polis announced the fourth and penultimate set of adolescent scholarship winners Friday, as the state’s rich vaccine incentive push nears its end.
The five students, ranging in age from 12 to 16, will have access to the $50,000 prize money, which accrues interest, when they move on to an institution of higher learning. They follow three weeks of previous winners, all of whom were vaccinated before the drawings and were automatically entered to win.
The students are Lindsay, 13, of Denver; Anna Gordon, 12, of Aurora; Louis Arguello, 15, of Westminster; Gerardo Sierra-Nunez, 13, of Westminster; and Aaron Arada, 16, of Colorado Springs.
The scholarship program has run alongside the state’s adult incentive program, which thus far has given four Coloradans $1 million apiece. The final drawing for that contest is next week.
During the press conference announcing the winners, Polis said the state was closing in on President Joe Biden’s goal of 70% of adults at least partially vaccinated by July 4. Though the country as a whole will be far off that mark come the holiday, Colorado is only three to four thousand doses away from hitting it. Several counties, including Denver, have already surpassed the 70% threshold.
Anna, the youngest winner, told reporters that she felt safe returning to school. An anime fan, she plans to attend animation school in the future.
Louis is also an artist, and he said the scholarship will afford him more opportunities to pursue that career. Aaron has become a “major traveler” since he’s been vaccinated, Polis said. He’s considering engineering or becoming an electrician.
Gerardo, a soccer player, said he missed hanging out with his friends and playing soccer over the past year. After answering in English, he switched to Spanish and urged people to get vaccinated. The Latino community has generally lagged behind vaccination rates in comparison to white residents, a trend that experts say is driven by a mix of hesitancy and access.
Lindsay, the final winner, said college was important to her and that she’s excited to see her friends in public spaces.
Asked about the success of the incentive programs, Polis said the money “is not designed to change somebody’s mind. The goal, he said, was to reach the share of Coloradans who are open but not fully motivated.
The final drawing for the scholarships is July 9. In order to qualify, younger residents must get vaccinated this weekend.
This content was originally published here.
