This month’s featured scholarship recipient, Kaity Hemm, is a Colorado native, born and raised in Conifer. After graduating from Conifer High School in 2010, Kaity attended Northern Arizona University for two years and then transferred to Colorado State University where she received a Bachelor in Business Administration and a Masters of Accountancy.

​Kaity transitioned to college quickly and easily because of the sense of community she felt at both schools. She loved living in the dorms because it gave her a sense of belonging while she made lots of friends. Conifer High School prepared her academically and she was able to easily tackle her classes at NAU. Her involvement in Conifer High School’s business organization, DECA, also prepared her for her business classes.
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Kaity was thrilled when she was awarded a Bootstraps scholarship, and she used the funds to go towards her tuition. Because of the Bootstraps scholarship, and other funding she received, Kaity did not have to take out any student loans – remarkable! Kaity recently purchased a house, and she feels certain that she would not have been able to qualify for the mortgage if she had any student loans.

Kaity became a Certified Public Accountant in 2017 at the age of 25 (WOW) and has been an active member since! She is currently living her career dream as a Financial Statement Auditor and CPA for Deloitte. Kaity has been with Deloitte for 7 years, and she currently works in the Audit and Assurance practice, where she, and the five teams of people she manages, serves public and private clients auditing their quarterly and annual financial statements. Kaity loves the variety her job offers. It is important to Kaity that she has an impact on the people she works with, regardless of the company or industry.

Outside of work, Kaity enjoys traveling and spending time with friends and family exploring everything that Colorado has to offer.
Life is drastically different for Kaity and everyone because of COVID 19, but the difference isn’t necessarily negative. She believes that the pandemic has allowed people to rethink priorities, goals, and to look inside and determine what’s important to them, as well as to adapt to change. She also recognizes the negative aspects of the pandemic including people facing mental health challenges and struggling to cope with the pandemic.

​Kaity believes that the Bootstraps scholarship she received was a game-changer for her financially. The scholarship allowed her to focus on her studies and alleviated the stress of taking on loans or having to work through college.