GOSHEN COUNTY ­– Seniors Mary Ridenour, Emily Zavorka and Colter Wyse have a lot in common – all grew up on farms in rural Goshen County, attended Southeast Schools since kindergarten and are recipients of this year’s coveted Daniels
Fund Scholarship.
Only 240 students were selected to receive the prestigious educational award from a pool of some 2,000 applicants. The list of final recipients included 156 students from Colorado, 30 from New Mexico, 21 from Utah, and 33 Wyoming residents.
Because of the small number of students chosen annually to receive the scholarship, the three friends and classmates were hesitant to get their hopes up.
“We all sat there in disbelief,” Ridenour said of the group officially learning they were Daniels Scholars. “Once it finally clicked, I just cried. We didn’t think all three of us would be chosen.”
The students were recently invited to Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead’s residence in Cheyenne to discuss education. During the event, Linda Childears, president and CEO of the Daniels Fund, stood up and announced the attendees were official Daniels Scholarship winners.

“Mary and I both started crying,” Zavorka said.
“I just started looking around the room, like, ‘What?’” Wyse recalled. “I almost passed out – I wasn’t breathing.”
The students’ excitement is warranted, as the scholarship secures their educational futures. Daniels Scholars may attend any accredited nonprofit college or university in the United States. The program covers any remaining expenses after all other scholarships and financial aid have been applied, according to a press release.
“I plan to attend the University of Wyoming (UW) and study international relations,” Ridenour said. “I’ve always wanted to work with people.”
Zavorka’s specialty, however, is of the four-legged kind. She hopes to attend Eastern Wyoming College and UW for her pre-veterinarian degree, and then Colorado State University to become a full-fledged animal doctor.
“I’ve been around animals my entire life,” said Zavorka, who interns at the local vet clinic during the school year and works for pay at the facility in the summer. “Hopefully I’ll eventually come back to work at the vet clinic here.”
Wyse will enroll in UW in pursuit of a computer programming degree.
“I’ve always been interested in computers,” he said. “Living in the country where my nearest neighbor isn’t home for six months out of the year, it’s a way to connect with people even if you live in a remote area.”
Although the three students have plenty in common, their extracurricular interests are as diverse as their future plans.
Ridenour enjoys dance and FCCLA, while Zavorka focuses on 4-H, FBLA, FFA and tennis. When Wyse isn’t on the computer or participating in 4-H, he can often be found volunteering at Bell Park Towers, a senior housing facility in Torrington.
Ridenour is the daughter of Mike and Cindy, Zavorka’s parents are Ron and Doreen, and Wyse is the son of Shawn.
“We just want to say thanks to our parents, school and community for supporting us,” the students said.