El Paso County high school seniors awarded scholarship from Incline Friends non-profit

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - For the second year in a row, the Incline Friends non-profit awarded three El Paso County high school seniors with college scholarship awards.

In 2023, Incline Friends awarded $2,500 each to three high school seniors.

The amount was increased this year for each student to receive $2,768; reflecting the number of stairs on the Manitou Incline.

According to Incline Friends Board President Renee Marinelli, the scholarship program reflects the group’s mission, “encouraging future generations to remain stewards of the Incline as well as our other outdoor resources.”

Incline Friends provided the following regarding each recipient:

The recipients of this year’s Incline Friends Scholarships are:

Keaton Morrison, a senior at Widefield High School. He is president of both the Environmental and Science clubs at his school and intends to study civil and environmental engineering at a college in Colorado.

Elizabeth Rose is a senior at Air Academy High School. She has done volunteer research with the Denver Botanic Gardens and written a research paper to be published in the Colorado Native Plant Society’s journal. She intends to study ecology and evolutionary biology at Princeton University.

Jesse Sellars, is a senior at Air Academy HighSchool. Jesse started a business to help connect high school volunteers to nonprofit organizations. He will attend the University of Nevada-Reno and will pursue management positions, entrepreneurial roles and executive status within outdoor recreational and environmental businesses. 

Recipients originally were to receive their awards at the base of the Manitou Incline. However, due to inclement weather, the ceremony was moved to the Manitou Springs Library.