About the scholarship

The Kirsten L. Tool Scholarship is awarded to a cadet in the AFROTC DET90 at CSU or UNC, rising 300 or 400, i.e., a current sophomore or junior who will be a junior or senior in the Air Force ROTC program in the fall of the next year; the applicant must excel in military and academic pursuits.

Scholarship amount: $2,000
Number of awards: 1

Scholarship awards are one-time awards. The amounts awarded to a selected recipient may be used for tuition and fees. All scholarships will be paid directly to the recipient’s school and must be used for the upcoming academic year. Award disbursement is contingent upon the outside scholarship policies of a recipient’s college or university.

Eligibility

  • Cadet in the AFROTC DET90 at CSU or UNC; rising 300 or 400
  • Cadet must excel in military and academic pursuits

About Kirsten L. Tool

Second Lieutenant Kirsten Tool was a distinguished graduate of the Air Force R.O.T.C. program at Colorado State University’s Detachment 90 in 1987. Tragically, on November 10, 1989, while serving as an Intelligence Officer at Lindsey Air Station in Wiesbaden, West Germany, she lost her life in an automobile accident during a trip to Denmark, coinciding with the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The Kirsten L. Tool Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in her honor by her family, generously supported by numerous small and medium-sized donations. This scholarship is exclusively awarded to a cadet from Detachment 90, encompassing cadets from both Colorado State University and the University of Northern Colorado. Recipients are chosen based on their embodying Kirsten’s ideals and character during her ROTC program. The scholarship is a testament to her memory and the enduring impact of her character and dedication.

The 2024-2025 scholarship application cycle is now closed. 

Contact Us

If you have questions or are interested in volunteering to review scholarship applications, contact scholarships@nocofoundation.org.

Willa Sauer
2021 Kirsten L. Tool Memorial Scholarship Recipient
Thank you so much for your generosity and continuous support to cadets of Detachment 90 through this scholarship opportunity. It is truly an honor to have been selected as the recipient for this scholarship. These past three years being a part of Detachment 90 here at CSU has been a truly formative experience that has shaped myself into someone determined to make a difference in the Air Force and in the lives of those I serve with. This generous scholarship will help enable me to continue performing to the best of my ability and help me focus on what is important, working towards becoming the most well rounded leader I can be. Something that sets this scholarship apart from others and makes it truly an honor to have received it is the way this scholarship honors Lt. Tool. For this reason, I want to reiterate my gratitude and dedication to honoring her memory through my actions. Thank you all so much!