A Helping Hand

The Myra Fox Skelton Scholarship for single parents at UW–Casper provides multigenerational benefits.

Visitors to the Laramie campus of the University of Wyoming will largely see traditionally aged college students, while visitors to UW–Casper will mainly see female students in their 30s. Many of these nontraditional students in Casper are single parents looking to make a better life for their families through higher education. However, working while caring for young children and going to school is a difficult act to juggle. That’s where the scholarship established by the Myra Fox Skelton Foundation comes in, offering a monthly stipend throughout the academic year for single parents enrolled full time at UW–Casper.

“This scholarship allows students to focus on the two things that are most important for them: their children and their studies,” says UW–Casper Dean Brent Pickett.

“It’s amazing when you look at the impact it has on students and their families. The Skelton Foundation is changing lives, and I am fortunate I get to see it up close.”

Student Stories

Liz Davis graduated from UW–Casper in 2013 with her degree in social work. Her son, Elliot, was just a toddler at the time.

“The scholarship helped immensely,” she says. “I was able to work just 15 hours a week on campus, and they had really flexible hours. I graduated with my bachelor’s degree without any student loans. The scholarship gives people the ability to work less, focus more on their studies and spend more time with their kids.”

Her flexibility even allowed her to help another single mother with day care transportation during college. It also gave Davis the opportunity to help others in her career as an independent living coordinator for Goodwill Industries, where she helps Natrona County youth transition from foster care or other out-of-home placements into adulthood and independent living.

“I work with youth ages 14 through 21 on things like postsecondary goals, learning about banking and credit, and understanding things such as how to get identity documents and a driver’s license,” Davis says.

Another Myra Fox Skelton scholarship recipient, Michael McDaniel Jr., also is using his education to give back. He serves as the membership and development manager at the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation. The World War II Japanese-American confinement site near Powell operates a museum and provides educational programming.

McDaniel earned his bachelor’s degree in social science in 2018 from UW–Casper and went on to earn his master’s degree in political science from UW. He is now a UW doctoral candidate in higher education administration.

His children were in middle school and high school when he earned the scholarship.

“The Skelton scholarship allowed me to continue my education full time while decreasing my labor workload,” he says. “The results of me receiving the scholarship demonstrated to my children the importance of lifelong education and following your dreams and goals no matter your age or social status.”

At the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, McDaniel now handles membership and donor relations as well as helping descendants of confined persons of Japanese descent with genealogical and family research.

Multigenerational Impact

Myra Fox Skelton was born in 1899 in Nebraska. Her family relocated to Wyoming when she was 12. In 1922, she graduated from UW and served as superintendent of schools in Hot Springs County — one of the youngest superintendents in Wyoming history. After she married Warren V. Skelton, she and Warren became involved in the Wyoming Oil and Gas Commission. Myra Fox Skelton’s philanthropic activities are notable, including the UW Alumni Association, Casper College, and various religious and service organizations. In 1973, she founded the Myra

Fox Skelton Energy Institute at Casper College. At the time of her death in 1986, all of her funds became assets of the Myra Fox Skelton Foundation, with instructions to distribute the income annually to those areas that were important to her — church, education and charity.

The Myra Fox Skelton Foundation Board created an endowment at the University of Wyoming, doubled by the state matching program, that supports the UW–Casper scholarship in perpetuity. Each year, the scholarship is awarded to between 6 and 16 single parents through a rigorous selection process. In addition to maintaining their grades and completing their degree programs, recipients of the scholarship are required to volunteer 15 hours per semester within Natrona County.

“Part of the scholarship program is encouraging them to be engaged in the community,” says UW Foundation Senior Director of Foundation Development and Research Collaborations Katrina McGee. “The students I’ve heard from have been really happy to have this kind of opportunity to give of themselves in a way that they have always wanted to.”

UW–Casper Academic Adviser Valorie Garrett, who helps administer the scholarship, agrees: “The volunteerism aspect is often multigenerational, and I think that’s something that’s really beautiful. I challenge these students to have their children come and volunteer with them whenever possible. It’s not just making an impact on the student’s life, but it’s really making an impact that’s meaningful to the family and community. Students will say, for example, ‘My children helped with Meals on Wheels or packed food for Thanksgiving, and it was really impactful for them to see the difference that just a little time and effort makes in the community.’”

Recipients also are required to attend a yearly banquet and to share their stories with foundation board members.

“I’ve had so many students tell me stories that really bring goosebumps to your skin,” Pickett says. “For example, one student said, ‘Every night after dinner, I would sit down and do homework for an hour. I made my daughter sit down next to me, and we each did our respective homework. My grades improved, and her grades improved.’ The Myra Fox Skelton Scholarship has an impact that is both immediate and multigenerational.”