Mary John Goree Las Animas County Scholarship Foundation

The Mary John Goree Las Animas County Scholarship Foundation (the “Foundation”) awards scholarships to residents of Las Animas County, Colorado to attend four-year colleges and universities in the United States (other than Princeton University).  The Foundation’s scholarship program is guided by and builds upon the vision of William M. John, the creator of our sister scholarship, the Mary John Goree Scholarship at Princeton University, which, like the Foundation, bears the name of his sister.

Mr. John, a native of Trinidad, CO, and a 1910 graduate of Princeton, wanted to reward and promote academic excellence among Las Animas County students by creating a scholarship that would enable Las Animas County students to
study at Princeton, one of the world’s great universities and an institution that many Las Animas County students would not otherwise consider attending or think that they could afford.  In so doing at a time when, unlike today, the Princeton student body was dominated by graduates of East Coast private schools, Mr. John was sending a powerful message to the young people of Las Animas County that if they worked hard and excelled in their studies, they could compete with anyone.

Consistent with Mr. John’s conception of the Mary John Goree Scholarship as a prize, it carries a guaranteed minimum award of full tuition and fees at Princeton and provides for an additional award for room, board, books, travel and other expenses based upon financial need.  Thirty Las Animas County students have taken advantage of the opportunity provided by the Mary John Goree Scholarship at Princeton University, fully vindicating Mr. John’s belief in what the young people of Las Animas County can accomplish.

The Foundation is funded by unspent income from the Mary John Goree Scholarship at Princeton University.  The Foundation’s scholarship program perpetuates Mr. John’s vision of rewarding and promoting academic excellence among Las Animas County students and enabling Las Animas County students to consider institutions they might not otherwise think of attending or believe that they could afford to attend.

Like the Mary John Goree Scholarship at Princeton, the scholarships awarded by the Foundation (known as Mary John Goree Las Animas County Scholarships) also represent a prize that carries a guaranteed minimum award that equals or exceeds full tuition and fees and provides for an additional award for room, board, travel and other expenses based upon financial need.  The scholarships build upon Mr. John’s vision of expanding the range of colleges considered by Las Animas County students by permitting Las Animas County students to use the scholarships to study at any four-year college or university in the United States (other than Princeton).  The Foundation shares and is guided by Mr. John’s belief that if Las Animas County students work hard and excel in their studies, they can compete with anyone and should never impose limits on their dreams. (Read more about our scholarships or submit an application.)

Our sister scholarship, the Mary John Goree Scholarship at Princeton University, continues to be available for Las Animas County residents.  It is a separate scholarship program administered by Princeton University.  We invite you to explore both of these exceptional opportunities for Las Animas County students — there’s no restriction on applying for both scholarships.

BE PART OF WILLIAM M. JOHN’S VISION FOR THE STUDENTS OF LAS ANIMAS COUNTY!

Our logo was designed by Dennis Martinez, a Princeton Goree Scholar who graduated from Princeton in 1986.