The Delta County Republican Central Committee (DCRCC) recently awarded three scholarships to outstanding Delta County students. Our scholarship program was open to all Delta County high school students who had registered to vote and had a Grade Point Average of 3.0 or higher. The awards can be used for attending college, junior college, trade school, or technical school.

This is a fairly rigorous application.  The applicants were required to submit an essay of 1000 words or more on any of two amendments in the U.S. Bill of Rights and what those amendments meant to them.  They were also required to attend a minimum of five of our Delta County Republican events such as our monthly meetings, the Lincoln Day Dinner, Candidate Meet & Greet events, the precinct caucuses or the county assembly.  Our purpose in designing our scholarship this way was to expose our high school graduates to our American political process.

We had a four-person Scholarship Committee review the applications.  Our initial scholarship program for 2023 was two $2,500 scholarships.  Three applicants completed the process and they were an outstanding group.  In fact, this group was so good that our Scholarship Committee felt that all three applicants were deserving of one of our scholarships.  The Committee raised an additional $2,500 and we are proud to announce that we awarded a $2,500 scholarship to Kyle Kincaide of Delta High School, a $2,500 scholarship to Kole Hawkins of Cedaredge High School and a $2,500 scholarship to Tia Moore of North Fork High School.   The scholarship awards were presented at the Scholarship Breakfasts that were hosted by each of the three Delta County high schools.  The Raffle and Scholarship Committees Chairwoman Cathy Cheatham and I made the presentations.  Shirley Bauer of the Scholarship Committee was also present.

Kyle wrote his essay on the 1st and the 10thAmendments. In a moving biographical sketch for his application, Kyle expressed how a setback in high school gave him the opportunity to learn a powerful lesson on accountability: that the only person accountable for our successes and failures is ourself. The Committee believes that Kyle is going to have many future successes and when a failure happens, he’s going to dig-in, work hard, and overcome that set-back. He plans to attend Adams State University.

Tia wrote her essay on the 1st and the 2ndAmendments.   Her excellent essay described that while the Constitution set forth the three branches of our national government and outlined their jurisdiction, it was the Bill of Rights that guaranteed our individual rights and liberties.  She attended five of our monthly meetings and enthusiastically attended three additional events – the Lincoln Day Dinner, a rally, and a Candidate Meet & Greet -- beyond the 5-event requirement. Tia plans to study physical therapy at Lubbock Christian University.

Kole also wrote his essay on the 1st and the 2nd Amendments.  He attended four GOP monthly meetings, the Lincoln Day Dinner, and the “Watch Party” for the November 8, 2022 General Election.  Kole noted that his participation in the Future Farmers of America has helped him to cultivate a passion for agriculture, and he will continue his academic pursuits by studying Agricultural Engineering at South Dakota State University.

The Delta County Republicans thank all students for participating in this scholarship program. It was encouraging to see the initiative and dedication of the students.  We believe that through the meetings and events these students attended, and the thought processes involved in writing their essays, they will continue to participate in our American constitutional republic form of government.  Good job class of 2023!

David Bradford

Chairman, Delta County Republican Central Committee