How often do you hear about people graduating from college and immediately landing their dream jobs? Moriah Rodgers is a perfect example of a Bootstraps recipient who succeeded in finding her ideal job right after graduating from Colorado State University. When we recently talked with Moriah, she had been on the job with a construction company for one week. She is thrilled that her job involves little desk work, tons of firsthand experience, a bit of travel, and engineering the project from start to finish.

Moriah graduated from Evergreen High School in 2017, received an interest-free loan from Bootstraps, and headed off to CSU to study environmental engineering. Her transition from high school to the university was smooth. She did, however, need to learn a few effective study techniques and time management skills for college because she did not need to study very much in high school and found herself with a bit of extra free time. It did not take long for Moriah to find the balance between her social life and her studies.

She lived in the dorms her freshman year and enjoyed being a part of a community. All the girls she lived with were super nice which made the transition to college much better. It was also helpful that she knew a few people on her dorm floor, and they continue to be close friends to this day. The pandemic made it challenging to take online classes. Moriah usually gravitated towards receiving firsthand help, so she had to learn how to ask the right questions through email and Zoom. Making friends and collaborating was also more difficult because she could not be face-to-face with people. The pandemic made everyone work harder and Moriah learned a lot from the experience.

When she first entered the university, Moriah wanted to join a non-profit organization, travel abroad, and build systems for different countries. She later shifted her focus and worked on projects in the field in the town of Fort Collins. She has always valued seeing projects through from start to finish, and since the projects were local, she was able to do just that. Before the pandemic, Moriah participated in the student sustainability club, and she played intramural sports for fun. During Covid, there was not as much happening, meetings were limited, and club projects were put on hold and unable to be completed.

After receiving her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering, she was offered her dream job. Her sister, who works in the construction management business, and one of Moriah’s colleagues recommended that Moriah attend a career fair in construction management instead of a career fair in engineering. Soon thereafter, she received the job offer from Hensel Phelps Construction Company and is currently working as a field engineer.

​Moriah used the interest-free loan she received from Bootstraps to cover the cost of books and materials. The loan also helped cover other living expenses that she could not afford on her own, and overall, Moriah feels the Bootstraps loan helped her succeed in her higher education endeavors. With the aid she received, she did not have to work as much allowing her to focus on school more. The support from Bootstraps helped her succeed in college.