When your parents live on the road, home is truly where you hang your hat. For Tommy Clift, that place is CU Denver. The Wyoming native remains close to his mom and dad, a classical singer and high school teacher respectively, but without the safety net of a permanent home, Tommy has learned to spread his own wings as a college student. 

“I chose CU Denver not only because it has one of the top music business programs in the country,” he says, “but also for its unique campus in the heart of a booming city.” An accomplished guitarist, cellist, and singer, Tommy is studying music business and script writing while exploring new avenues for creation in music for visual media like film and dance. For him, CU Denver’s diverse campus is a source of inspiration. "I get a lot of my energy from other people and turn that energy into creation, which is ultimately meant for others to experience,” he explains. “There is something to be gained from everyone you meet, but there is also something to be given."

Scholarship support helps Tommy channel his energy and creativity into his degree. “It’s the type of support that changes lives and what you can accomplish,” he says. “Without these scholarships, the time I’d devote to learning and growing would be replaced by finding another job, and I’d be spread a lot thinner.” Instead, he is able to grow and thrive with the freedom he enjoys to learn and create.