Todd and Elisa Mata never thought that they would be operating a business as unique and successful as this.  The idea came to them while vacationing in Spain in 2014, and within months of returning home, The Clue Room opened its doors.  The first live escape room in the state, the Mata’s risky decision to open the market to a new kind of entertainment has more than paid off.

Now, their success is carrying over to ACC students in the form of two separate $5,000 scholarships.

The first is open to residential minority students in the Business Study Abroad Program, and the second is for female residents in any Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) programs. Both are open to either part-time or full-time students at ACC, as long as they hold at least a 2.5 GPA and can send in a short one-page letter describing how the funds would benefit them.

The best part?  The ACC Foundation is matching the Mata’s contribution dollar for dollar. That means that each scholarship amounts to a whopping $10,000.

With the yearly residential tuition (15 credit hours per semester) set at about $4,320 per year, these scholarships would pay for school and more.

The Matas know how hard it is to pay your way through school.  Back in Indiana where Todd and Elisa met, they were stuck with no community college options and compromised by going to Purdue University, a commuter school. They both value the concept of getting an education economically, and are huge supporters of the Colorado Community College system.

“Every little dollar helps,” Todd says.  And you can take his word for it — he has over twenty years of experience in accounting and taxes.

If you haven’t heard of live escape rooms, listen up.  A concept that originated in Japan and gradually moved to Europe, escape rooms are now sweeping our nation.  The idea is basically this: you get locked in a room and have limited time to get out.  Inside, there are clues and various objects to assist you in solving all the puzzles required for escape.  Of course, every room is different.

The Clue Room’s games operate in a 60-minute time-frame, and each is designed by the Matas and their employees. There’s Nautilus, a game of Todd’s design set in a submarine.  Elisa designed Alice’s Whimsical Wonderland, drawing inspiration from the classic fable.  Veronica Mata, the couple’s daughter and The Clue Room’s Media & Marketing Director, designed Kinoko, the most difficult game available. Of course, there are new games coming all the time; Josh Hunt, the Sales & Operations Director, is currently working on a game of his own.

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Inside the "Alice's Whimsical Wonderland" room.

Designing the games isn’t easy. The goal is for everyone to have a good time, but it’s important that clients are challenged too.  After all, nobody wants to pay for an hour in an escape room and get out in fifteen minutes. And then there’s the task of collecting the various knick-knacks for the rooms; the Mata’s have had their share of awkward trips to Home Depot, buying more padlocks at one time than you can count.

But The Clue Room must be doing something right.  They officially opened in 2014, and already have two locations with plans for a third to open soon.  They received the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence in 2016, and their games have helped loads of local businesses with team-building.

The Matas plan on continuing to back ACC students with these scholarships every year.  You can apply the same way as you would for other awards by visiting the ACC Scholarships homepage.  If you have any questions about the scholarships or the application process, you can contact Courtney Loehfelm, the Executive Director of the ACC Foundation, at [email protected]

And if you’re looking for a new activity to break from the monotony of springtime binge-watching, give the Matas a visit at one of their Clue Room locations.

All photos courtesy of Bryden Smith.