Darnell Pickup Endowed Scholarship

Selection statement of purpose
Scholarships within the college are awarded to provide financial support based on need, academic achievement, and/or other specified criteria as determined by the fund agreement for Donor/Gift Funded scholarships or the awarding department for Institutional/Departmental scholarships.
The donor sets the criteria for recipient selection (i.e., financial need, field of study). Scholarships are awarded for one academic year. Institutional funded scholarship selection criteria will be determined prior to review and selection of applicants and will be documented annually.
Natalie Darnell Pickup was born and raised in Boulder by her parents Phyllis and Dr. Jerome C. Darnell. Dr. Darnell was a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder for 33 years before retiring in 1998. Natalie graduated from CU Boulder in 1991, and her brother, Jayson Darnell, graduated in 1988.
During her time at CU Boulder, Natalie met her husband, Todd Pickup, who was an undergraduate before transferring and graduating from University of Southern California. Natalie and Todd Pickup were married in Boulder and now live in Newport Beach, California. They were excited when their son, Max Pickup, decided to attend CU Boulder’s College of Media, Communication and Information. Max graduated from CMCI in 2023 with degree in Journalism and a minor in Sports Media.
Natalie, Todd, and their entire family are passionate about the excellent education and experiences provided at CU Boulder and especially CMCI. They established this scholarship through the DevTo Support Foundation in the hope that it will help future students lessen the financial burden of a college education as they become our future leaders in communication and technology.
We encourage students to express gratitude, and so thank you letters can be written to Natalie and Todd Pickup.
Selection Criteria
Applications are reviewed holistically, and selection criteria may include, but is not limited to, academic record, leadership experience, extracurricular involvement, community service, employment, essays, and in some cases, financial need as determined by the FAFSA/CASFA.
Essays: Quality of writing and content are weighed heavily.
Financial Need: The FAFSA and the Colorado Application for State Financial Aid (“CASFA”) are the mechanisms approved for calculating financial need for need-based scholarship awarding.