Mancos High School seniors Hannah Skinner and Axel Bonde will get full scholarships through the Daniels Foundation as they enter the next stage of their lives this fall.

Bonde is headed to Fort Lewis College, where he plans to play football and major in exercise science. Skinner will attend the University of Wyoming to study psychology and wilderness therapy.

Bonde said earning the scholarship felt great.

“It feels like winning the lottery,” he said.

After college, he plans on joining the police academy and pursuing a law enforcement career, he said.

The Daniels Fund selected 240 students as Daniels Scholars — 156 from Colorado, 30 from New Mexico, 21 from Utah and 33 from Wyoming, according to a press release from the group. About 2,000 students applied for the scholarship program. The award covers college expenses for students after all other scholarships and financial aid have been applied.

Both Mancos students were on spring break when they got the news about their scholarships earlier this year. Bonde was on a river trip, and Skinner was in Costa Rica.

“It was amazing when I found out,” Skinner said. “It sets me up in life.”

Four Mancos High School students were Daniels Scholarship finalists, Registrar Tiffany Aspromonte said.

Several students have earned the scholarship from Mancos over the years, she said.

Skinner and Bonde worked hard to earn the award, Aspromonte said.

“These two were very dedicated and deserving,” she said.

For high-schoolers who want to pursue the Daniels scholarship, Bonde said it helps to put effort into high school from the beginning.

Skinner said the scholarship application considers grades, but also considers other activities students did outside school. The group favors well-rounded students for the award, she said.

Bonde said he thanked the community and the Daniels Fund for the support.

“I would like to thank the Daniels Fund for believing in me,” he said.

jacobk@the-journal.com