Hitting the Books: Central High Class of '59 awards nearly $20,000 in scholarships

Alumni of Pueblo Central High School’s Class of 1959 have awarded five scholarships to graduates of the 2024 class. Since 2015, donations to the group's scholarship fund have exceeded $100,000 and 20 graduating members of Central classes have received scholarships. All funds are donations from former Central students or advocates.

This year, four $4,000 scholarships and one $2,500 were awarded. Scholarship recipients are determined by a comprehensive vetting process. All selected students obtained a 3.9 GPA or higher.

Here are this year’s recipients:

• Ethan Ayala, who plans on attending CSU-Fort Collins, intends to major in mechanical engineering. While at Central, Ethan participated in baseball as team captain. He also participated in high school football. Ethan has taken engineering and physics honor classes while preparing for college. He was a member of student council as well as National Honor Society.
• Gianna Strasia plans to attend Pueblo Community College, majoring in sonography. She will enter a radiology technology program as a prerequisite for her major. While at Central, Gianna played girls basketball and was a member of Central’s Girls’ Cabinet. She was active in the preparation of food products and hygiene items for donation to women’s shelters and homeless facilities.
• Thalia Bravo will attend CSU-Pueblo and will major in health administration. Some of the classes she took in anticipation of her major were dietary nutrition, human growth and development, and Nurse Aide Health Care Skills. Thalia has also taken criminal justice classes and public speaking to enhance her desired major. She was involved in girls varsity soccer and HOSA while at Central.
• Hadli Welsby will attend CSU-Fort Collins and major in biomedical sciences, physiology and anatomy in order to attend medical school to become an anesthesiologist. She has been active in numerous sports including gymnastics, swimming, and golf. She was a member of National Honor Society, student council, Girls’ Cabinet, and Newman Club to name only a few. Hadli was also on the city of Pueblo Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council.
• Grace Venn will attend Colorado Mesa University and major in animation film photography and graphic design. She was a member of National Honor Society and was responsible for the creation and construction of data on club community service projects. Grace was also a member of CAT Crew, assisting freshmen upon their entrance to high school. She has been involved in Vacation Bible School and Operation Christmas Child.