麻豆淫院

The Greer Scholarship memorializes an alumnus whose creativity and passion left a deep impression on campus, at work and among pals.鈥�

When you ask Paul DeRemer for stories about his friend Jonathan Greer, he鈥檚 quick to bring up a long weekend skiing with his best friends from college.听

鈥淚t was this fun moment of time maybe 10 years out of college, just before we all started having kids,鈥� said DeRemer (Fin鈥�02), now founder and principal consultant of New York-based Kaleidoscope Advisory. 鈥淚 still keep a picture of it here to remember it.鈥�

The memory is important because one of the friends in that photo, Jonathan Greer (Bus鈥�03), died unexpectedly at 38. Some of his closest friends鈥攊ncluding DeRemer and Ben Paull (Acct, Fin鈥�03)鈥攁nd his family created and funded the Jonathan Greer Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund to honor their friend鈥檚 passion for CU Boulder, interest in entrepreneurship and love for others.听

鈥淛onathan was one of the most creative people out there,鈥� said Paull, chief financial officer of Ribbit Capital. 鈥淗e was always thinking about what ideas would actually impact and change the world. We thought this was the best way to honor him while doing something he would feel great about鈥攂eing remembered in a way that鈥檚 not just about him, but about helping others, which was really who he was.鈥�

A catalyst 鈥榯o take a risk and build something鈥�

The Greer scholarship has been awarded annually since 2020 to a Leeds student interested in entrepreneurship. While Greer was not a founder, he brought an entrepreneurial approach to solving problems in finance; DeRemer thought it would be 鈥渁mazing鈥� to see a Leeds student embrace the same perspective his friend brought to the business world.

鈥淚t would be great if, ultimately, this gift was a sort of catalyst to allow someone to take a risk and build something,鈥� he said.听

Talk with Greer鈥檚 friends and you quickly get a sense of him and his gregarious personality, from being a baseball coach and family man to a Green Bay Packers devotee. Paull and DeRemer shared laughs as they recalled the ski trip, which coincided with the Packers鈥� trip to the Super Bowl. They watched it at the hotel, surrounded by Steelers fans.听

Throughout the first half, Paull recalled, hotel guests were inching their chairs further from the group as Greer loudly cheered the team on.听

鈥淛onathan brought so much love and passion to whatever we did,鈥� DeRemer said. 鈥淗e always brought a huge personality to everything he did.鈥�

Knowing some of Greer鈥檚 story is what makes earning this scholarship so special. Tasha Smith (Strat, Entrep鈥�23), this year鈥檚 recipient, said she enjoyed the opportunity to meet with DeRemer and Paull to understand the person whose memory the gift honors. 听

鈥淚t was not only a chance to understand why they created this scholarship, but also to get a little bit of career advice to help me in the future,鈥� said Smith, who鈥檚 exploring a range of job possibilities in project management, marketing and user experience.

A recipient who embodies Greer鈥檚 values

Many students say scholarships offer some freedom from working, allowing them to more closely focus on classes or extracurriculars. DeRemer, for instance, said scholarships offered him the opportunity to work with Paull and restart a finance club at CU, which both men called a formative experience. Smith, however, is interning with Mission Zero and working at the CU Environmental Center while carrying a full load of extracurriculars, including president of CU Boulder鈥檚 chapter of The Women鈥檚 Network.

鈥淚n Tasha鈥檚 case, I remember leaving our discussion with her and thinking, 鈥榃ow, I don鈥檛 think I was doing half that much stuff when I was at CU,鈥欌�� Paull said. 鈥淚t was touching to hear how seriously she was taking this opportunity.鈥澨�

Scholarship winners, he added, 鈥渁re always excited to hear about Jonathan. It鈥檚 amazing to hear their stories and how we can help them鈥攂ut in a way they鈥檙e living through him, too.鈥�

Smith doesn鈥檛 consider herself an entrepreneur鈥攖hough if you ask her, she鈥檒l tell you her dream job would be to blend her interests in business and art to create her own fashion line. But she鈥檚 had to think like one in developing The Women鈥檚 Network. It鈥檚 the only Colorado chapter among 150 national chapters; she cherishes the opportunity to help women at CU develop career-related skills and to connect them with female professionals across the country.

鈥淚鈥檓 really grateful for how the scholarship supports me in taking on responsibilities like The Women鈥檚 Network or the Climate Action Expo, which I鈥檓 also a part of,鈥� she said. 鈥淛onathan sounds like he was an amazing person, and getting the opportunity to honor his memory is very special to me.鈥澨�

For DeRemer, that鈥檚 what it鈥檚 all about.

鈥淪cholarships create this living thing. Each year, into perpetuity, people who earn this scholarship will know his name,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o every year, we鈥檒l meet someone who will receive this scholarship, carry it forward and be touched by Jonathan in some small way. For us to be a part of that, and to see his legacy go out there into the world, means we鈥檒l never forget him.鈥�

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