Oct. 21, 2026
AURORA, Colo. – The Community College of Aurora Foundation (CCAF) has partnered with the Colorado chapter of the Conference Of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) to start a new scholarship supporting Community College of Aurora (CCA) students. CCAF and COMTO Colorado representatives announced the endowed scholarship at CCAF’s third annual Beyond Scholarship Breakfast on Sept. 30. Scholarship donors and CCA student scholarship recipients gathered around the breakfast’s theme of resilience and heard inspiring speeches supporting the impact of scholarships at CCA.
CCA President Dr. Mordecai Brownlee spoke to student scholars at the breakfast. Every scholarship represented in this room carries something incredibly meaningful. It says we believe in you, it says your dreams matter, and that your future is worth investing in. My hope is that as you continue your educational journey, you never underestimate the impact that you could have on others, much like the impact our donors have on your lives. These are people that are really investing in you,
said Dr. Brownlee.
COMTO Colorado donated $10,000 to CCAF to establish the new scholarship fund. As an endowed scholarship, CCAF will invest the donation and use the interest from that investment to grant scholarships to many different students for the foreseeable future. It is a sustainable financial aid model that helps the donation go much farther than its original dollar amount.
COMTO Colorado selected CCA as its scholarship partner because of how closely the two organizations’ missions align. COMTO Colorado works to expand access to transportation industry careers for all, much like CCA advances workforce training for students from diverse backgrounds.
This is more than a financial investment. It’s an investment in future leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, public servants, and transportation professionals. It’s an investment in each of you,
said COMTO Colorado President Barry Burch. He also works as an external affairs advisor for Denver International Airport. At COMTO Colorado, we believe potential is everywhere, but access isn’t always. Our responsibility is to help build pathways so that talent and opportunity can find each other.
Talent and opportunity converge in CCA student and scholarship recipient Shailee Basnet, who delivered an impactful speech at the scholarship breakfast. She is one of the seven people on the Seven Summits Women Team who were the first in the world to reach the summit of Mount Everest, and later, the highest peaks on each of the globe’s other continents. Growing up in Nepal, she learned about the power of filmmaking watching Bollywood films. Becoming a leader of the Seven Summits Women Team gave her the stories she wants to tell through filmmaking, and CCA’s Cinematic Arts Department is providing the education to do it.
CCA student and scholarship recipient Shailee Basnet delivered an impactful speech about her experience on the Seven Summits Women Team and her filmmaking career goals.
I’m super grateful to all the faculty and all the staff at CCA because it has been an amazing journey. For more than two years now, every single day I’m learning so much,
said Basnet. I get to learn about how I can go from having a film in my mind to having a film that the world would want to see. I feel so close. I have one more semester to go, and I can tell you today with humility and confidence that someday I will be making the biggest films in the world.
Scholarships support confidence and opportunities for students like Basnet. Partnerships with organizations like COMTO Colorado Colorado are essential to making those opportunities possible. That commitment is also reflected in the Foundation’s longstanding partnership with Molson Coors, whose Dream Scholarship has provided $105,000 in scholarship support to nearly 100 students.
Lacey Golonka, vice president of the CCAF Board of Directors and community affairs manager at Molson Coors, emphasized that supporting students often requires addressing challenges beyond tuition.
We started funding the Dream Scholarship knowing that sometimes it’s not just funding the scholarship that you need,
said Golonka. Sometimes you need help with other items, like childcare or gas, and we do our best to meet students where they are. As community leaders, scholarship funders, partners and scholarship recipients, this is our Everest. We can work together as a team to get folks to the finish line and I truly believe at CCA we do that.
The new COMTO Colorado endowed scholarship is a long-term investment in student success. For over 10,700 CCA students, it expands their educational opportunities, strengthens Colorado’s workforce, and promotes economic mobility. Through the continued generosity of donors and community partners, CCAF removes financial barriers and empowers students to achieve their educational and professional goals for generations to come.
About the Community College of Aurora
The Community College of Aurora (CCA) provides high-quality instruction and student support services to Aurora, Centennial, and Denver, Colorado. With a vision to aspire to be a college where every student succeeds, CCA is the most diverse college in the State of Colorado. Focused on creating social and economic mobility for its students, the college offers courses on three campuses, online, and through its high school concurrent enrollment programs. For more information, visit www.ccaurora.edu.
About the Community College of Aurora Foundation
The Community College of Aurora Foundation (CCAF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing student success and high-quality education at CCA. The Foundation raises philanthropic resources, forges community and industry partnerships, and cultivates donor engagement. CCAF is committed to stewarding contributions with integrity and transparency, guided by the vision to support CCA in being the college where every student succeeds. For more information, visit https://auroragives.org.
Contact
Courtney Butler
Executive Director of Strategic Communications and Special Initiatives
Strategic Communications and Alumni Engagement
P: 303-340-7201 | E: [email protected]