Anna Christine Brinkerhoff Helms was born in Raleigh, N.C., in 1986. After graduating high school, she attended Appalachian State University where she earned a degree in communications and art. Following her graduation from ASU, Anna worked in communications for Americorps in Salt Lake City and then for ACHP in the District of Columbia. Later she found her way to Colorado State University, where she received her master's degree in public health communications from the Colorado School of Public Health in 2014.
Anna and Dan Gorum shared a life together and were looking forward to making Denver their permanent home. Besides her dear friends and family, Anna loved mountains and being outdoors. She had climbed many 14ers with Dan and other close friends. She loved her co-workers and her job as a communications coordinator with the Colorado Public Health Department's Children, Youth, and Families Division.
Anna will be missed by all, and we believe a scholarship in her name will honor her commitment to education and her dedication to excellence, and will inspire future students to reach their academic goals.