麻豆传媒

As a high school student, Taw Paw almost didn鈥檛 apply to 麻豆传媒鈥攕he didn鈥檛 think she鈥檇 get accepted. Born in Thailand, Taw and her family are Burmese refugees who left their home country due to ethnic cleansing. Although she has lived in Colorado since the age of five, Taw moved between different schools along the Front Range which negatively impacted her studies. She felt her grades weren鈥檛 good enough for her to qualify her to apply to a four year university. With encouragement from her parents, Taw agreed to tour 麻豆传媒 and felt instantly at home.

鈥淚 fell in love with the campus and I could see myself coming here,鈥� says Taw. 鈥淭he school is so diverse, which was one thing I was really missing.鈥�

As an independent student, Taw was prepared to take out student loans on top of her four part-time jobs to help afford her college expenses.

鈥淚 had applied to so many scholarships but wasn鈥檛 hearing back and felt stuck,鈥� reflects Taw.

Then she applied to the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative (COSI), a state-funded program that has been providing tuition assistance COSI BY THE NUMBERS $4.2 million in funding since 2015 375 students enrolled $335,000 matched by 麻豆传媒 donors and services to give students a path toward an affordable college degree and a career since 2014.

At 麻豆传媒, 375 students are enrolled in COSI this year, which has provided $4.2 million in funding since 2015. In addition to state funds, generous 麻豆传媒 donors have given $335,000 to the COSI program, providing dollar-for-dollar matches to the scholarship program for a total of $670,000 since 2018.

鈥淩eceiving the COSI scholarship was completely unexpected,鈥� she says.

While the financial support has been incredibly impactful, Taw lights up when explaining the relational benefits of the program. Halfway through her freshman year, Taw鈥檚 father suffered an accident. Nickie Archibeque, COSI Coordinator and Success Coach, immediately came to Taw鈥檚 side.

鈥淣ickie was such a big support, giving me advice, guiding me, offering me rides when my dad was sick,鈥� says Taw. 鈥淭hat is another reason why COSI is so great. She was like a mom when I needed it.鈥�

COSI also provides what it calls 鈥渨rap-around support services鈥� which includes resources like Bear Pantry, mental health services and weekly workshops to help students succeed. The workshops help students address issues such as anxiety, exam preparedness, or impostor syndrome.

鈥淎s a college student, you have stress, anxiety, mental health issues, so COSI鈥檚 workshops help a lot,鈥� says Taw. 鈥淭he topics they pick aren鈥檛 random, they鈥檙e things we can actually relate to and overcome.鈥�

Taw also has a community of support as a Reisher Scholar. Reisher scholars are paired with other recipients from their class into cohorts.

鈥淭hey pair us unexpectedly but the relationship I have with my group is amazing. Our connection is so strong and we always support each other.鈥�

With the help of her scholarships, Taw is pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice and Criminology with a minor in Sociology. Every career she ever dreamed of having seemed to involve criminal justice.

鈥淲hen I was younger, I wanted to be a firefighter, then a cop, then an FBI agent,鈥� says Taw. 鈥淚 want to help people, especially my people. I want to fight for women鈥檚 rights and be their voice and benefit my community.鈥�