Late one night last March, Regan Garman nervously looked at an unopened email from the Daniels Fund. The email would let her know if she’d been awarded a scholarship making her Union College education more affordable for her family. She paused before opening the email and reading the first word: “Congratulations!”
Garman, a freshman elementary education major from Loveland, Colo., is one of 240 recipients of the 2022 Daniels Fund Scholarship. The scholarship offers up to $100,000 to motivated and involved students from Colorado, New Mexico, Utah or Wyoming who are planning to attend college.
As a senior at Campion Academy, Garman heard about the Daniels Scholarship from her school’s registrar, who encouraged her to apply. “I applied, but I didn’t think anything was going to happen,” she said. “You don’t think anything is going to come of something that so many other people have applied for.”
As soon as Garman found out she had received the scholarship, she told her parents. “They were really excited,” she said. “My parents have done so much for me. Getting this scholarship felt like a ‘thank you’ for my parents, like the work they put into raising me and getting me a good education paid off. This scholarship is really helping ease our family’s way.”
Union College was Garman’s first choice because of its proximity to her family and its Education Program. She said, “The Union Education Program gives you experience from the first year, which I really like. The professors in the Education Program made me feel really welcome when I visited.”
Garman has always been drawn toward education. “I had a really good third-grade teacher,” she said. “I wanted to be just like her when I grew up.” But as Garman grew older, she wanted to make sure education was the right path for her, not just a childhood fantasy. She said, “I asked myself, ‘Is being a teacher my ‘I want to be an astronaut’ situation?’”
Garman tossed around different ideas for a career, but none quite fit. During her sophomore year of high school, she got the opportunity to work as a teacher’s aide in a seventh and eighth grade classroom. “I really enjoyed it, and realized teaching is really what I wanted to do,” said Garman. “I think education is where God wants me to go.”
Not only is Garman growing her talents as an educator, but she is also loving being a part of Union’s community. “I really like how the smaller size of Union means you can get to know more people,” she said. “Feeling like you know everyone’s name is awesome!” Garman meets new friends on the basketball team and in three different clubs: Education Club, uGlow Girl, and Business and Computer Science Club. “I want to get more involved eventually, but that feels like enough for freshman year.”
Garman is thankful for the opportunities that winning the Daniels Scholarship and attending Union College have given her. She said, “God is the reason I was awarded the scholarship, and He’s definitely the reason why I’m here.”
By Annika Cambigue, a junior English and communication major from Ohio
Media contact
Ryan Teller
Director of Public Relations
402.486.2600 ext. 2272
ryan.teller@ucollege.edu
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