By Benjamin Randall
Spring 2026 marked the final Sean “Ranch” Lough Derby, bringing to a close a 25-year tradition that honored Lough’s life and invested in future Rams. But – if the Derby marked the end of an event, it did not mark the end of its impact.
The foundation’s true legacy lives in the students whose lives it changed and in the people they continue to serve. Established in Lough’s memory after his tragic passing in 2001, the Sean “Ranch” Lough Foundation reflects the generosity, optimism and adventurous spirit that defined his life. Every year, the foundation has awarded four-year scholarships to students whose potential is matched only by the obstacles they’ve overcome, creating pathways that extend far beyond a college education.
The scholarship doesn’t just cover tuition. It gives students the freedom to immerse themselves in campus life, pursue opportunities they may have otherwise missed, and begin careers centered on serving others. Years after graduation, that investment continues to ripple outward through the lives they touch.
For Dominique Dominguez (B.S., ’21), the scholarship provided something just as valuable as financial support: community. A first-generation college student from Denver, Dominguez arrived at Colorado State University unsure of what college would look like and without a roadmap for navigating it. Through Key Communities and the support of the Sean “Ranch” Lough Foundation, she found both belonging and confidence.
“I know community was a pivotal reason that kept me in school,” Dominguez said. “When you’re the first person in your family to go to college, there isn’t really a blueprint. Having people who believed in me, who invested in me, and who made CSU feel like home … it made all the difference.”
Freed from the financial pressure of working simply to stay enrolled, Dominguez immersed herself in campus life, discovering a passion for social work before later earning a master’s degree. Today, she serves as program manager for first-generation initiatives at the University of Colorado Denver Business School, helping students navigate many of the same challenges she once faced.
“The foundation didn’t just help me pay for college,” Dominguez said. “It gave me the freedom to be present, to build relationships, and to figure out who I wanted to become. Everything I’m doing now traces back to those experiences. Now I get to help students see that they belong here, too.”
For Allegra Vasquez (B.S., ’17; M.S., ’22), the scholarship unlocked a future she never imagined.
Originally planning to pursue biology, Vasquez discovered nutrition research at CSU and quickly fell in love with science. Her graduate research explored how aronia berry supplementation could improve cardiovascular health, opening the door to a career she didn’t even know existed when she first stepped onto campus.
“I didn’t even know this was a career choice,” Vasquez said. “I came to CSU thinking one thing, and through the people I met and the opportunities I was given, I found a completely different path that I absolutely loved. Those experiences completely changed the direction of my life.”
Today, Vasquez works at Dartmouth Health, where she reviews research protocols to protect the rights and welfare of patients participating in medical studies. While her career looks different from what she expected, she traces it directly back to the doors the foundation opened.
“The Sean ‘Ranch’ Lough Scholarship is the catalyst for what brought me here,” Vasquez said. “Without that support, I don’t know that I would’ve had the time or freedom to pursue research and discover what I was passionate about. Every day, I feel like I’m giving back because someone first believed in me.”
Like Dominguez and Vasquez, Sandra Carrillo (B.S., ’17) credits the Sean “Ranch” Lough Scholarship with opening doors that once seemed out of reach.
Growing up in West Denver as a first-generation student, Carrillo always dreamed of attending CSU but knew college would be financially out of reach without help. Receiving the Sean “Ranch” Lough Scholarship changed that trajectory, allowing her to earn her degree before beginning a career in education through Teach For America.
Today, she manages a Denver Public Schools Community Hub, connecting families with food assistance, educational resources, workforce programs and community services designed to remove barriers to success.
“It feels like I was given a second chance at life,” Carrillo said. “Somebody invested in me before they really knew what I was capable of, and that changed everything. It gave me possibilities that my family had never had before, and it completely changed what I believed was possible.”
Looking back, she sees the scholarship’s impact extending far beyond her own education. It changed the future of her family, her children, and the communities she now serves.
“When you invest in one student, you’re really investing in generations of people they’ll go on to help,” Carrillo said. “That’s what this scholarship did for me. Now I get to help families every day, and I carry that responsibility with me because someone once chose to invest in mine.”
Every spring for 25 years, Derby guests gathered to celebrate Sean “Ranch” Lough’s life, but the foundation’s true work always began long after the last race was run.
It continues in a first-generation student who now helps other first-generation students find their place. It lives on in a researcher protecting patients through ethical science. It grows through a community leader connecting families with the resources they need to thrive.
Lough’s story ended much too soon, but the opportunities created in his name continue to shape lives, strengthen communities, and inspire each generation to lift the next. That’s a legacy measured not by the scholarships awarded each year, but by the thousands of lives those recipients will touch for years to come.