Leadville

Leigh Widmer felt as if the rug were pulled out from under her when she suddenly lost her job of 14 years. She worried about how she was going to support herself and her two children as a single mother. As she weighed her choices, Leigh recalled “I remembered how close I was to finishing my associate degree with Colorado Mountain College, so I made a call to Cory Rikard, my college counselor. After reviewing my transcripts, he thought a new program that CMC was just launching would be a perfect fit for me. Turns out, he was right!” With the support of family, the faculty and staff at CMC, and donors like you, Leigh went all in and juggled a full-time course load while caring for her family. “There wasn’t a single instructor who wasn’t completely invested in my success. I really thrived with that kind of encouragement. It gave me an extra sense of responsibility because it’s hard to drop the ball when someone is watching you hold it.” Leigh believes that scholarships covered roughly 85% of her total cost of attendance. “As the sole supporter of my family, debt was something I couldn’t take on. Without this financial support, obtaining my degree would have been impossible.” This May, Leigh was part of the first cohort of graduates to earn their Bachelor of Arts in Human Services degree. Local employers are in desperate need of qualified individuals to support the social and emotional health of our mountain communities, now more than ever. The Bachelor of Arts in Human Services emphasizes the unique aspects of human services in rural communities, and prepares students to gain positions in businesses, schools, hospitals, recovery centers, government agencies, community organizations, and readies students for graduate school programs in most areas of human services.… Read more: Leigh Widmer, CMC Alumna and Mother