Acosta, Cuadras to attend Colorado Mountain College
[RIFLE] Heidi Acosta and Venezia Cuadras had a few things in common before they were both named Alpine Bank Latino/Hispanic Scholars. Each had a big dream, and each believed that college was out of reach.
Acosta, inspired by her work as a volunteer catechism instructor at her church, hoped to earn a teaching degree. Cuadras, who had congenital scoliosis as a child, was fascinated by the medical field and wanted to become a nurse. But for both prospective students, the lack of funding was an obstacle.
Caring educators encouraged recipients to plan for future
Cuadras was encouraged by her English teacher at Coal Ridge High School, Zac Meseke, to pursue the scholarship to fund her education. In her application essay, Cuadras wrote: “If I get the privilege to earn this scholarship, I will be very thankful and very proud of earning something so important for my future.”
When Acosta’s counselor at Rifle High School, Drew Hogan, told her she was eligible for the Alpine Bank scholarship to attend Colorado Mountain College, the student felt it was an impossible dream but applied anyway. “I was so excited when I found out I got it,” Acosta said. “This was dearly needed, and I was really proud.”
This is the 17th year Alpine Bank has honored regional high school graduates through the bank’s Latino/Hispanic Scholarships. This year’s 13 recipients receive a scholarship that covers two years of tuition, fees and books at any Colorado Mountain College campus.
Acosta hopes to set example for next generation
Acosta was particularly glad to study close to home at Colorado Mountain College. “I’m very attached to my family,” she said. “The younger kids look up to me.” She added that her mother has already started encouraging her 14-year-old sister to study hard so she can apply for a scholarship too.
While in high school, Acosta taught catechism to 4th-graders at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. She plans to continue teaching at the parish after she begins working toward her degree in education. She hopes that attending college will inspire her students and her younger siblings to do the same.
Cuadras thrilled to pursue career she knows she’ll love
In high school, Cuadras enjoyed Spanish, creative writing and English, but her passion for the healing arts always dominated her career dreams. “Because I’m going after a job I’ll really love,” she explained, “I’m excited to go to college — not because I have to, but because I want to.”
She plans to complete a nursing degree at Colorado Mountain College, then go on to earn certification as an ultrasound technician. “It’s been my dream since I was a little girl to have a degree in the medical field,” she wrote in her application essay, “and I’m proud to know that soon I will be achieving this goal.”
This year’s other student scholars and their respective high schools are Baneza Andrades Vargas, Aspen; Maritza Araiza (merit scholar) and Kevin Kiyoshi Nakagawa, Basalt; Dolly Contreras, Glenwood Springs; Natalie Avila, Yampah Mountain; Oscar Tena, Roaring Fork; Levi Ernest, Red Canyon; Stella Martinez, Battle Mountain; Damian Montes, Eagle Valley; Edeyanira Martinez, Summit; and Ana Orellana, Steamboat Springs.
By Kristen Carlson.