GOAL High School Senior Awarded
Ignite Futures Fund Grant 

Marilee Mowdy is a senior at GOAL High School living in Craig, CO, with her mother and brother. She works part-time while attending school and has been enrolled in online education since 2020. Marilee joined GOAL High School in 2024 after experiencing challenges at her previous school.

Before attending GOAL, Marilee started to academically fall behind. She struggled to understand the material, which made her dread completing her schoolwork. She was drawn to GOAL because she believed having a physical location where she could meet with staff and receive support would help her better understand her coursework.

Marilee knew GOAL would be a good fit because two of her brothers had previously graduated from GOAL High School. Since enrolling, she has rediscovered her enjoyment of learning, gained a stronger understanding of her coursework, and taken significant steps toward her future goals.

In February 2026, Marilee applied for and was awarded the Ignite Futures Fund.

About the Ignite Futures Fund

The Ignite Futures Fund helps young people build wealth and create brighter futures for themselves and their communities. The fund is led by Impact Charitable in partnership with Gary Community Ventures and a coalition of funders in Colorado and across the country.

Learn more about the Ignite Futures Fund at Ignite Futures Fund.

Marilee was motivated to apply for the Ignite Futures Fund because she recognized it as a potentially life-changing opportunity and felt there was no harm in applying. When she learned she had been selected, she was stunned.

“I was super shocked; I opened up my email at like eight in the morning, thinking it was an attendance email or something. I was half asleep and reading the email, and I immediately called my mom. I was trying not to cry just because I didn’t expect anything to come of it. You know, I was just like why not? I really didn’t expect to get it. So was just extremely shocked.”

To begin the program, Marilee traveled to Denver to attend a two-day conference with other grant recipients. During the conference, recipients and their families participated in informational sessions, networking opportunities, and educational activities with fellow participants.

As part of the program, Marilee has access to advisors who provide guidance when needed. She has also completed online financial literacy courses provided through the Ignite Futures Fund. The courses covered topics such as different types of savings accounts, taxes, and investing. Participants also use the Rapunzel App, which includes a stock market simulation that allows students to explore the outcomes of various investment decisions.

When asked what has been most beneficial in helping her decide where to invest her money, Marilee credited both the advisors available to her and the knowledge she has gained through the Rapunzel App.

“We can always reach out if we need help, I think the biggest way they’re helping with learning investment is through the Rapunzel app. It’s seeing firsthand how the stock market works, it’s super confusing to be honest. I’m still kind of confused, but it is definitely helping me learn. We have access to our peers on the app, so we’re able to connect and see how they’re doing cause some people understand it better than others.”

She continued:

“It has made learning about the stock market so much easier for me personally, because I learn things firsthand as opposed to having it just repeated to me.”

Marilee will return to Denver in the coming months to reconnect with the Ignite Futures Fund organization and fellow participants as part of the program’s ongoing support and check-in process.

Already planning for her future, Marilee hopes to attend school to become a massage therapist. She chose this career path because it is something she believes she will enjoy and, most importantly, because it is a realistic and reliable goal.

When asked how GOAL High School has prepared her for the future, Marilee said:

” It’s made me feel less like I’m dumb and more like I just need a different approach to learning. Since being at GOAL, I’ve seen drastic improvements in my learning, my test scores and, being able to come in has helped me with my anxiety. The credits I get for working at my job have encouraged me to push through the hard parts of work and I’m still there so many benefits.”

For students considering opportunities like the Ignite Futures Fund, Marilee has simple advice:

“I would definitely tell them to go for it. There’s nothing bad that can come out of trying. And I know it can kind of seem like a lot of work that you don’t want to put in, but worse comes to worst, you just don’t get it, and you move on with your life. Whereas if you do get it, this could genuinely be life changing. And I would absolutely encourage anyone who gets this opportunity to try it. I’m so glad that I tried it, and I just think it’s worth it.”