Five Montezuma County seniors are finalists for two prestigious state scholarships and will move on to the final rounds in upcoming months.

Chance Cote and Brianna Dennison from Montezuma-Cortez High School, along with Emily Cole and Scottie Sword from Mancos High School, were selected as finalists for the Daniels Fund Scholarship. M-CHS senior Louis Gonzalez was chosen as a Boettcher Scholarship finalist.

The Daniels Scholarship Program was established by businessman and fighter pilot Bill Daniels, who died in 2000. Scholarships are awarded to high-performing, well-rounded high school students from Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming who demonstrate “exceptional character, leadership, and a commitment to serving their communities,” according to the fund’s website.

The scholarship can be used toward college tuition at any nonprofit, accredited four-year university in the United States, although the amount awarded varies by student.

The Boettcher Foundation Scholarship, established in the 1950s, awards selected Colorado high school seniors with what is essentially a full-ride at any four-year institution in the state.

Final interviews for the Daniels scholarships are scheduled for February and early March, and recipients will be announced late March. Finalists for the Boettcher scholarship will be interviewed in March, and the 42 award-winners will decided soon after that.

ealvero@the-journal.com

This article was reposted on Feb. 2 to correct the spelling of Boettcher Scholarship finalist Louis Gonzalez’s name.