Meet Scholarship Recipient Chanel Schvaneveldt

Monday, February 28, 2011

I have enjoyed every part of college and have learned so much, not only in my classes but outside of them also. My equine teacher, Dr. David Denniston, told us at the beginning of the year that in order to be successful in college you must not just worry about grades but balance them with extracurricular activities as well. So I joined several clubs including the Rodeo Club, the Collegiate Horsemen’s Association Club and Intramural Soccer. These clubs helped me meet new people, feel part of Colorado State and kept me busy. Along with getting involved with the school, I also volunteer in the community. I volunteer at Lory State Park helping to keep the trails in good shape. I also help out with the local Fort Collins Farmers Market getting things setup and helping it run smoothly. Last fall, I taught third graders about agriculture at the Colorado State University Agriculture Research Center. Outside of college activities, I have been competing in barrel racing jackpots in order to get my horse ready the college rodeo season. Now that I have a semester under my belt, I am in the process of finding a paid part-time job to help subsidize my finances.
Because I have been around the racetrack my whole life with my dad who is a jockey and my mom who is an outrider, I have seen a lot of injured horses and I am very passionate about the care and recovery of these horses. Therefore, my long term goal is to start a rehabilitation center for injured racehorses. I plan to support this lay-up facility by also having a riding and boarding facility. I will reach these goals by working hard through college and saving my money. At some point in college, I would like to do an internship with a rehabilitation center for horses to learn more about running a business like this.
 Being the first person in my family to attend college, I feel blessed to be a part of The Race for Education family. It is a wonderful organization that has encouraged me in achieving my goals by offering me financial support and mentoring. I am so grateful for the Karri Casner Scholarship which has helped with the financial stress of attending an out-of-state college and allowed me to get the best education possible on my quest to reach my dreams of owning a rehabilitation center.
I want to thank the contributors of Race for Education so much for supporting RFE and students like me in reaching our education and career goals.