Colorado-based integrated marketing agency, Backbone Media, announced a significant partnership with Colorado Mountain College (CMC) Jan. 16, aimed at nurturing future talent in the marketing field. The initiative includes the Backbone Scholarship for Integrated Media, poised to ease financial barriers for students and offer a gateway to an internship opportunity and potential employment at Backbone.

“Our partnership with Colorado Mountain College is born from their new degree offering of integrated marketing,” Backbone President Greg Williams said. “We love what CMC is doing and we want to be a part of it.”

Williams highlighted the synergy between the agency’s expertise and CMC’s academic program. The partnership is structured as a three-pronged approach, encompassing a scholarship, an internship and potential employment opportunities.

Backbone, with 26 years of experience and offices in Carbondale and Denver, aligns closely with CMC’s newly offered Bachelor of Applied Science in Integrated Media. The scholarship is designed for first-generation college students, offering a full year of tuition coverage and a 12-week marketing internship at Backbone.

CMC Director of Photography Derek Johnston emphasized the long-term effort to launch the degree. 

“This new integrated media degree keeps them more on a track to what brought them here to CMC,” Johnston said, praising the partnership’s ability to align students’ education with real-world marketing and PR skills.

The inaugural recipient of the scholarship, Juliana Garcia, expressed gratitude and excitement about the opportunities the scholarship has opened up for her. 

“By having been awarded the Backbone Scholarship, I feel as though it is helping prepare me for the real world experience of it all,” Garcia said, sharing her ambitions to blend her graphic design skills with social media marketing, envisioning a flourishing career in a team-based agency environment.

Garcia’s resilience and dedication have been key factors in her selection. She works at Valley View Hospital in the patient services department to help with family finances. Garcia also helps her mother raise her three younger siblings by dropping them off and picking them up from school in between her college courses. She does all of this while maintaining a strong academic record and an active involvement in her community. This combination of talent, work ethic and character resonated with both Backbone and CMC.

Williams detailed the structure of Garcia’s internship. 

“She’s going to have some short-range projects, and she’s going to have some long-range projects,” he said. The aim is to provide Garcia with hands-on experience across various departments, from public relations to creative design and social media.

Both Williams and Johnston underscored the shared values between Backbone and CMC, particularly their commitment to community and meaningful partnerships. This alliance, they believe, is not just beneficial for the students but also for the evolving landscape of marketing and media.

Garcia expressed her lasting gratitude for the opportunity to be the first recipient of the scholarship.

“I was in disbelief that I had received a spot with Backbone through this scholarship,” Garcia said. “This is helping me prepare for the real world experience and I am extremely grateful to both CMC and Backbone.”

As the 2024-25 academic year approaches, applications for next year’s Backbone Scholarship are now open at coloradomtn.edu.