Students whose parents died on the job find hope in Pinnacol Foundation scholarship

DENVER, Jan. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — When someone is hurt or killed in a workplace accident, the effects ripple beyond the individual to spouses and children. Young people who lose a parent often shoulder the financial burden of supporting the family while dreams of a higher education fall to the wayside. 
Here are two of their stories.

Diego Gonzales
Locked out of the registration process due to an outstanding tuition balance, Diego Gonzales was unsure if he’d be able to continue attending college. Financing his education was a seemingly insurmountable obstacle. “My father died in a car accident while working,” shared Diego. “My mom would work all day and night to help pay for college, but that is extremely unfair to her.”
That’s when the Pinnacol Foundation scholarship stepped in. The Foundation paid Diego’s tuition balance, allowing him to register for classes again.
As a junior at the University of Arizona, Diego is working towards a bachelor’s degree in dance. He dreams of performing on Broadway and one day opening his own studio for underprivileged youth.
Thanks to the foundation scholarship, which provides financial support to the children of Colorado workers who were seriously injured or killed on the job, Diego can keep dancing. 

Christian Kay
When Christian Kay’s father died in a workplace accident, his family’s future was altered forever. “My father was the director of ski patrol at Wolf Creek Ski Area when he was buried in an avalanche and did not survive,” explained Christian.
Christian sought help from the Pinnacol Foundation and received a scholarship. “It is so helpful to receive this scholarship—my family greatly values education, but it’s extremely expensive nowadays,” he said. “I’ve had a successful first year of college, and I’m very excited that I can afford to continue towards earning my degree.”
Raised in Colorado, Christian is now a sophomore at Eastern Oregon University where he is studying agriculture entrepreneurship and hopes to have a career in business. 

‍What is the Pinnacol Foundation?
The Pinnacol Foundation provides scholarships to the children of Colorado workers who were seriously injured or killed on the job. Since the foundation’s launch in 2001, we’ve awarded nearly $7.4 million in scholarships to over 800 students across Colorado. Scholarship applications are accepted every year Nov. 1-Feb. 15.
The Pinnacol Foundation was created by Pinnacol Assurance, a top-performing provider of workers’ compensation insurance.

Contact: Liz Johnson
Director, Public Relations     
303.361.4816 (office), 720.939.7238 (mobile)
liz.johnson@pinnacol.com

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SOURCE Pinnacol Assurance