Student Grants

Grants and Fellowships

Each year, the Benson Center funds a number of student scholarships and grants. Students serving as Benson Center Fellows are given priority for funding. Students are encouraged to apply to become a fellow and to become active participants in the Center's intellectual life on campus. Fellows receive a stipend in addition to any grant or scholarship awards they may apply for.

Benson Center scholarships are awarded through the . Students can search for "Benson Center" to see all funding opportunities from the Center. Students must be enrolled in courses on the CU Boulder campus in order to receive funding through the Scholarship Office.

The Center recognizes and geniunely thanks the foundations and trusts that make these grants and scholarships possible. Because the Center is entirely gift funded, we rely on students to provide short reflection essays the year after funding has been awarded as a way to show donors how their contributions have helped students. This can help attract future donations and gifts to further support students on the CU Boulder campus.

The Harper PhD Fellowship is awarded to CU Boulder PhD students who commit to year-long participation in the Center鈥檚 programming, annual theme, and the larger goal of fostering intellectual diversity and dialogue on the campus and in the broader community. Fellowships are awarded for one academic year and spring awards are based on the following criteria: continued active enrollment as a graduate student and making regular progress toward degree completion; participation in the Benson Center Fellowship Program; and a submission of a brief reflection essay at the end of the year. The fellowship is worth $4,000 per academic year (split between fall and spring) and is made possible through a generous donation by June Harper. Application deadline: March 15, 2025.  

Internship and Language Study Grants are awarded to undergraduate or graduate students at CU Boulder. The Internship Grant is intended to help subsidize a summer internship, paid or unpaid, that relates to the Center鈥檚 mission, including law, government, public policy, and education. For example, internships can be based in our nation鈥檚 capital, government offices, think tanks, political organizations, or nonprofit organizations. The Language Grant is intended to support students studying languages associated with Western Civilization. When possible, students are expected to enroll in a CU Boulder summer class, although other arrangements are possible when the required classes are not available. Students who wish to apply for a grant should communicate with the person providing a recommendation prior to submitting the application about their educational goals and the type of grant (Internship or Language) they will be pursuing. The grants are awarded in the summer term for $1,000 each. Recipients of the grant should submit a brief reflection essay at the end of the summer about how the funds impacted their studies. Funding is possible through a generous donation by the Snider Foundation. Application deadline: March 15, 2025. 

Depending on availability of funds, the Benson Center partners with the CU in D.C. program to support semester-long internships in our nation's capital, putting classroom learning into real world action. Please contact the CU in D.C. program directly for more information. Students who are Benson Center Fellows should mention the affiliation to the CU in D.C. program coordinators to be considered for funding. Funding is made possible by a generous donation from the Snider Foundation.

2024-2025 Awardees

 
Student GranteeHome DepartmentFunding AwardedAward Amount
William GodsilBUS-BSSnider Internship Grant$1,000
Lindsey HarrimanPHIL-BAStudent Grant$3,000
Daniel WisniewskiCLAS-MASnider Language Study Grant$1,000
Dylan MoukaHIST-MASnider Language Study Grant$1,000
Student GranteeHome DepartmentFunding AwardedAward Amount
Yahir LoyaIAFS-BAWehman Scholarship$1,500
Andrew S.INFO-BSStudent Grant Proposal$1,800
Ashley DancerENVS-PhDRA Position45% appointment
Ellie McDonaldPHIL-BALanguage Study Grant$1,000
Kaeli WaggenerAAAH-BALanguage Study Grant$1,000
Katie McCabePHIL-MALanguage Study Grant$1,000
Zelda KieserPHIL-MALanguage Study Grant$1,000
Idowu OdeyemiPHIL-PhDHarper Fellowship$4,000
Student GranteeFunding AwardedAward Amount
Noah DurranceCU in DC$2,000
Alexander FoxCU in DC$2,000
Sarah O'NeillCU in DC$2,000
Tate RandelCU in DC$2,000
Kameron KravetzCU in DC$2,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

Student GranteeFunding AwardedAward Amount
Amber LashbaughCU in DC$1,200
Sara HagosCU in DC$1,200
Genasee WormanCU in DC$1,200

 

 

 

 

 

Student GranteeFunding AwardedAward Amount
Jenna GersieHarper PhD Fellow$4,000
Theodore McLemoreHarper PhD Fellow$4,000
Ines BenavidesWehman Scholar$1,500
Dylan YachsenWehman Scholar$1,500
Belinda NicholasCU in DC$2,000
Megan DietzCU in DC$2,000
London LyleCU in DC$1,000
Alexander ShivelyLanguage Study Grant$1,000
Amanda LoeffelholzLanguage Study Grant$1,000
Amirhossein AjalloeianLanguage Study Grant$1,000
Dawn JacobLanguage Study Grant$1,000
Dylan YachyshenInternship Grant$1,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Student GranteeFunding AwardedAward Amount
Chase DavisCU in DC$1,000
Skyler NunnCU in DC$1,000
Andrew KimCU in DC$1,000
Alana HorwitzCU in DC$1,000
Karissa UrbanekCU in DC$1,333
Cindy PenaCU in DC$1,333
Morgan ChisolmCU in DC$1,333
Emily NicholsonLanguage Study Grant$1,000
Thomas FrancisLanguage Study Grant$1,000
Dylan YachyshenInternship Grant$1,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Student GranteeFunding AwardedAward Amount
Katiana HutchinsonCU in DC$4,000
Lindsey NicholsCU in DC$2,000
Bailey McCueCU in DC$2,000
Cristian Larroulet PhillipiCDT Grading Grant$3,000
Sierra StandishLanguage Study Grant$1,000
Lauren KennedyInternship Grant$1,000
Sam HahnGrant$1,000
Samuel KindickScholarship$1,000
Dawn JacobLanguage Study Grant$1,000
Alexander LangerScholarship$1,000
Micaela CruceGrant$1,000
Philip ChoiScholarship$1,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Student GranteeFunding Awarded
Justine SandersCU in DC
Christopher GarnerCU in DC
Emily SchweitzbergerCU in DC
Sarah PapichCU in DC
Cynthia HowardLanguage Study Grant
Kerri ClementLanguage Study Grant
Hannah SchneebeckLanguage Study Grant
Kate DooleyLanguage Study Grant
Travis MayLanguage Study Grant
Laura MurrayLanguage Study Grant
Jonathyn ZapfLanguage Study Grant
Rebeca CaprilesLanguage Study Grant
Cameron RowlettLanguage Study Grant
Soren FuchsLanguage Study Grant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Student GranteeFunding Awarded
Gagan SapkotaLanguage Study Grant
Jessee KilgoreLanguage Study Grant
Laura MurrayLanguage Study Grant
Tyler DentonLanguage Study Grant
Jillian BjerkeLanguage Study Grant
Brandi BoseovskiLanguage Study Grant
Alex LangerLanguage Study Grant
Amanda NerbovigLanguage Study Grant
Greg MileskiLanguage Study Grant
Tiffany BeebeLanguage Study Grant
Laraine QuirkLanguage Study Grant
Samuel HahnLanguage Study Grant
Mark BoesplfugLanguage Study Grant
Jacob FlawsLanguage Study Grant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A note about funding: Benson Center funding is open to any student at CU Boulder. However, special consideration is given to students in the Foundations of Western Civilization certificate program, members of our Undergraduate Fellows program, and those who have a demonstrated interest in the study of Western Civ through participation at Center events and/or coursework. Graduate students should be able to make a case as to how their research or program of study is related to Western Civ. 

Recent Benson Center Student Grants