Kyle Granowski

Kyle Granowski knows a good deal when he sees one. An accounting major in DU's Daniels College of Business, Granowski didn't have to crunch numbers to recognize the value of a DU education.

"I should graduate with an MAcc in 2010 thanks to the 3+2 program," said Granowski of the program that allows DU students to graduate with both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in only five years. "Being awarded scholarships and grants my first year also helped me make the decision to come to DU, otherwise I probably would have found myself at a cheaper, less accredited school. That would have been a huge mistake."

Among the scholarships Granowski received was the Charles A. Haskell II Endowed Scholarship Fund created by DU accounting alum Charles A. Haskell, BSBA’60, to support outstanding accounting students in need.

"I endowed a scholarship at DU because I wanted to help people who couldn't attend without financial assistance," said Haskell, a vice president and financial consultant for RBC Dain Rauscher. Haskell's gratitude towards DU was another motivating factor in his gift to DU. "Any success I've had started at DU. My accounting professors' connections with major CPA firms gave me job opportunities before I even graduated. Those paved the way for me to enter the financial services industry. I owe a lot to the University of Denver."

Although his own graduation is several years off, Granowski feels tremendously indebted to DU as well. "Without the scholarships and grants DU has given me, I wouldn't be able to attend school here," he said. "After my dad’s snowmobiling accident in 2000, he was completely paralyzed from the waist down and hasn't been able to work since," he said. "Both my sister and I are on our own for our college expenses."

While Granowski's college fund may have once been in question, his college major was virtually predestined. "Math has been my favorite subject since elementary school and I just knew that accounting would fit me well," he said. "Accounting is also a field with many jobs available so that's a big plus."

Granowski balances his life as carefully as he does a spreadsheet: His passion for numbers may only be exceeded by his passion for snowmobile racing. Since discovering the sport at the age of 10, Granowski has taken it to the professional level. "I race across the western states -- Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming -- as a factory-sponsored pro rider," said Granowski who headed to Minnesota in November 2006 to try to qualify for the 2007 Winter X-Games.

Ultimately, however, school comes first for Granowski, and for that reason, he's grateful to be at his first choice: DU.

"Many motivated students don't have the financial backing to attend a well-known university, and scholarships help those students to better their future," said Granowski. "Also, scholarships are a great way of showing students that hard work does pay off in the end."

You can invest in outstanding students like Kyle. Contact us at 1-800-448-3238 or 303-871-2739, or e-mail us at gift-planning@du.edu.