Hi, I'm Tori Auger.

Hi! My name is Tori Auger and I have the incredible honor of being one of this year’s VOC Grossman Scholarship recipients! I am an 18-year-old Denver native who loves the world, nature, and most especially all the creatures who call it home. I have been in love with the natural world for as long as I can remember, talking to birds, catching garter snakes, climbing trees, and swimming in lakes since I was a child. Having grown up in Denver, I have had access to a world of gorgeous natural spaces and parks, beautiful mountains, and incredible wildlife my entire life, which of course only deepened my love of the outdoors. Also instrumental to my love of nature was a summer camp called SPREE which teaches kids about the wonders of the natural world and how to protect it. I lived for this program, spending every second I possibly could at SPREE, catching crawdads, playing nature games, and learning about our incredible planet. I attended SPREE as a camper, then became a teacher’s assistant, and have now worked for them as an educator for three years, totaling to over a decade of time well spent. It is through my involvement with SPREE and the Greenway Foundation that I had the opportunity to apply for this incredible scholarship. 

Due to my deep love for the natural world, and the guidance of some very important people in my life, I am proud to say I am attending Colorado State University where I am studying Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and Conservation Biology. I aim to become a full-time environmental educator upon graduating from CSU. I love teaching kids about the environment because I know they will grow up to be the next generation of policymakers, problem solvers, and stewards of this world. By teaching them about our environment and what they can do to protect it, I know the work I do makes a real impact on protecting the world I love. In addition to being extremely rewarding, working with kids happens to be fun! Kids bring an air of silliness, imagination, and genuineness to learning, which never fails to lift my spirits and give me hope for our environment and our future as a whole. 

Environmental education is my passion and it is a blessing to be able to follow that passion unobstructed, in large part due to the contribution of the Grossman Scholarship. This scholarship will have an incredible impact on my college career, covering such a massive portion of my tuition that, with the help of a few small merit-based awards, I will not have to pay any tuition out of pocket in the coming school year. This remarkable contribution will allow me to focus on other expenses relevant to my education such as textbooks, materials, and course fees associated with some of the most impactful and exciting classes my college has to offer. I am so thankful to VOC and the Grossmans for helping me pursue the best education possible to become the environmental steward I want to be.

I would like to end by acknowledging some of those who have helped me get to where I am today. I would like to thank the Greenway Foundation and SPREE for showing me the joys of environmental education. I would like to extend a special thank you to my coworkers and friends, Allie Hennessy and Jay Gagnon, for encouraging me to apply for this scholarship and writing me letters of recommendation. I would also like to thank my uncles, Jolon and JJ Clark, who helped get the SPREE program on its feet and guided me into the environmental field. Most importantly, I would like to thank my Mom for everything she has done for me. She has always shown unwavering support for my passions and I would be lost without her. Lastly, I would like to once again thank VOC and the Grossmans for their incredible generosity. I am honored to have received this scholarship and will do my best to make you all proud! Thank you everyone!