VALLEY — The Daniels Scholarship Program is proud to announce the 2017 Class of Daniels Scholars.

2017 Daniels Scholars from the San Luis Valley are:

• Manuelito Serafin Casias, Alamosa High School

• Michael Ellis Sowards, Centauri High School

• Annarose Elizabeth Phelps, Del Norte High School

•  [Name withheld at student request] Sanford High School

• Zachary Scott Rutgers, Sangre de Cristo High School

The new class of 2017 Daniels Scholars from Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming will gather at the University of Denver June 15-18 for Scholars Heading Into the Future Together (SHIFT), an action-packed orientation program designed to prepare incoming scholars for success in college and the future. The program also covers many life skills that students typically do not learn in school.

Presentations, classes, and activities include “Professional and Dining Etiquette,” “The Fine Art of Small Talk,” “Chasing Authentic Success,” “Get Rich…Slowly: Lasting Principles of Personal Financial Management,” and more. The students will also gain access to their Grad Plan, a Daniels Scholarship Program online tool designed to help keep them on track to graduate in four years.

The scholars will be formally introduced at the New Scholar Celebration dinner on Saturday, June 17, at the Grand Hyatt Denver. 500 guests from across the four states will attend, including educators and community leaders who interviewed the students for the scholarship.

Daniels Scholars are selected based on their exceptional character, leadership, and commitment to give back to their communities. Daniels Scholarships cover the unmet needs of the student after all other financial aid sources have been applied. The four-year scholarship allows students to attend any nonprofit college or university in the United States. More than half of the new scholars are the first in their family to attend college.

Since 2000, more than 3,700 students have received the Daniels Scholarship and more than $154 million has been awarded through the Daniels Scholarship Program. At any given time, there are nearly 1,000 Daniels Scholars attending more than 200 colleges and universities across the country.

The goal of the Daniels Scholarship Program is to help each scholar succeed in college and ultimately become independent, successful in a rewarding career, and actively engaged in their community.

The Daniels Fund, established by cable television pioneer Bill Daniels, is a private charitable foundation dedicated to making life better for the people of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming through its grants program, scholarship program, and ethics initiative. Visit DanielsFund.org to learn more.