Sam Frostman STEM Scholarship Fund
Dark Skies, Inc. is proud to present scholarships for all residents in Custer County, CO to pursue STEM related university degrees. Scholarship applications are open to all students in Custer County, whether traditional students or non-traditional such as home school or online students.
Education is a core concept of our mission statement as an organization. In pursuing that goal and encouraging the people in our community to engage in STEM fields such as astronomy, Dark Skies awards a scholarship of $5,000 per year for four years to a qualified applicant.
A dedicated Scholarship Selection Committee composed of Dark Skies members and members of the community evaluate student scholarship applications, ensuring that all criteria are met before awarding a scholarship. The scholarship is open to all members of our community, independent of age, current educational situation, or financial status, if they are pursuing degrees in a STEM field at any accredited college (including community college) or university in the United States. The student’s college major must be listed among the more than 395 STEM majors in order to qualify. Demonstrating acceptable progress towards a STEM major each semester is a condition to continue to receive the scholarship for four years.
Our first scholarship recipient, Tyler Ferron, graduated in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science degree from North Dakota State University. His major was Software Engineering. Daniel Kennedy graduated in the spring of 2024 from the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs also with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science. Daniel is currently working for Fifth Gait Technologies in Colorado Springs. Mat Kienbusch graduated in December 2024 from Colorado Mesa University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and is exploring a possible teaching profession. Elizabeth (Brooke) Flynn will graduate from the Colorado School of Mines in the spring of 2026 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry/Chemistry. And Jadyn Adamov is currently a sophomore majoring in Radiological Science at Colorado Mesa University. Finally, Isabella Ferron is now a freshman at the University of Utah majoring in biochemistry and genetics.
“The Dark Skies STEM scholarship has provided invaluable help in my pursuit of a Computer Engineering degree. Not only has it helped pay for my tuition, but it has also allowed me to focus more on school. I can’t thank Dark Skies enough for the opportunity they have provided!“ -Daniel Kennedy, Scholarship Awardee
2027 Scholarship Applications Available January 2027
Please note that non-traditional students, such as those being home schooled or doing online schooling, are also eligible to submit an application and receive a scholarship. Click on the link below to save the scholarship application. There is also a separate downloadable evaluation form to be used for your 2 personal recommendations. The application and evaluation forms are both PDFs that can be completed digitally and emailed for submission. While digital submission is preferred, you can also print out the application and evaluation forms to submit via mail to Dark Skies, Inc. P.O. Box 634, Westcliffe, CO 81252.
Please contact Mrs. Susan “Sam” Frostman at samfrostman@gmail.com for more information or questions regarding the scholarship or application process.
“My passion for STEM was fostered in a community that cares about and invests in the people around them.”