Cora Schaffner

Paul and Jean Hoshiko Memorial
Family Scholarship

Cora is the daughter of Leanne and Darin Schaffner of Greeley.  She is a Senior and is currently home schooled and would like to take the Certified Nurse Assistant course at Aims Community College as she would like to gain the skills necessary to care for individuals with special needs.  She is drawn to helping others because when she was 14 years old, she got a Severe Traumatic Brain Injury from a car accident. She needed a lot of assistance from people in the medical field for a long time. She stayed at Children’s Hospital in Denver for two months. While there, she was cared for by nurses, doctors, and therapists who gave so much of their time to help her recover. Because of that experience, Cora knows just how important this job can be to those receiving care. She would love to help others in a similar way that she has been helped. Cora is standing here today because of others who gave of their time, energy, and knowledge to help her recover the best she could from her brain injury. They didn't give up on her, even when times seemed bleak. Therefore, she feels very motivated to help others who go through hard times to remember not to give up either. To obtain her CNA Certificate will allow her to help others in practical ways, make a difference in the world, and allow her to become a more well-rounded individual with an additional skillset that will be useful in a variety of ways to serve others.

Cora is a 8-year member of New Horizons 4-H Club.  When she joined 4-H eight years ago she was 9 years old and decided she wanted to compete in 4-H because her older sister, Adelynne, had been doing it for the last two years and loved it. Cora began wanting to learn Archery because she had always loved shooting but had never heard of Archery until she saw it as an option for a 4-H project. she was so excited yet nervous at the same time. It was nerve racking to try something different, but Cora was ready. As she grew older, she decided to also compete in the Horse Project because her older sister had been competing and riding horses and it had always been a big part of her life. Cora enjoyed it a lot, although Archery was still her favorite project.  Her favorite memory from the Horse Project is winning a buckle for the Intermediate Overall Champion just one year after the accident. Cora was proud of how far she had come. It took a lot of practice to regain her balance and stretched her mind to memorize each pattern. Over the many years she has done, 4-H it has helped her learn how to participate in her club as a Treasurer, Secretary, and President. Cora has enjoyed how being a part of that has helped build her confidence in front of others and given her an opportunity to experience a great leadership role. She also loved all the community service things she has taken place in for they have helped her realize all the ways she can make a positive difference in her community. Cora feels accomplished in 4-H because she made it to Level Two for the Ranch, English, and Western Divisions at Fair. She’s really enjoyed learning all she could with the many leaders helping to teach new skills.

Cora is the recipient of the Paul and Jean Hoshiko Memorial Scholarship.