Rita E. Jackson Scholarship

Rita E. Jackson sought and succeeded in achieving independence. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in U.S. History in 1974 and continued graduate study in the School of Education at the University of Colorado Denver. She went on to work as a caseworker and later as a contracted hearing officer with the Jefferson Country Department of Human Services. In addition to her professional career in social work, Jackson volunteered time and energy to reforming nursing homes, clarifying Native American water rights, and the King of Glory Lutheran Church. She was also a person with quadriplegia and a wheelchair user as a result of an automobile accident at the age of seventeen.


The Rita E. Jackson Scholarship is awarded to non-traditional age (25 years or older) graduate or undergraduate students seeking independence and self-sufficiency with special medical needs impacting mobility, and who have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher. Students must be residents of Colorado and employed at least part-time to be considered for the award. The scholarship is need-based and students must demonstrate financial need by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the Colorado Application for State Financial Aid (CASFA -ASSET students only) no later than March 1st.

Recipients will be notified of their award status in May.