By Carrie Click and Mike McKibbin
Alpine Bank scholarships are providing funds for 14 graduates of Western Slope high schools to attend Colorado Mountain College this fall. Today’s Alpine Bank Scholar story features six scholars from the Roaring Fork Valley: Chennelle Hernandez, a graduate of Aspen High School; Violet Lepe of Basalt High School; Eddy Meraz of Roaring Fork High School in Carbondale; Carla Cortes of Bridges High School in Carbondale; Stephany Ortega of Yampah Mountain High School in Glenwood Springs; and Raul Rios of Glenwood Springs High School.
Thanks to an Alpine Bank Latino/Hispanic Scholarship, Aspen High School graduate Chennelle Hernandez will take the first step toward a career in clothing design this fall when she starts attending Colorado Mountain College.
Since 1996, more than 180 graduating high school seniors have received Alpine Bank Latino/Hispanic scholarships to attend CMC. This year, 14 more will have their tuition, fees and textbook costs covered by Alpine Bank for two years. To be considered, students must be of Latino/Hispanic descent, qualify as an in-district CMC student, have at least a 2.5 GPA and demonstrate financial need, among other criteria. Each scholarship equals $2,200 a year.
Hoping to make a dream real
“I always wanted a better life for myself than a small-time job that I would hate,” Hernandez wrote in her application essay for the scholarship. “No, I want a career in cities I haven’t been to. I am determined to do what it takes to further my education and make something of myself.”
Hernandez said the fashion industry has been her main interest since she was a small child.
“As I grew up, fashion was everything to me,” she said. “I like the idea of someone wearing something I designed that helps make them who they are; it helps them feel special.”
One of Hernandez’s teachers, Gretchen Calhoun, noted in her recommendation that the student worked 35 hours a week since she was a freshman at Aspen High School.
“Chennelle’s work experience makes her more grounded in the real world,” Calhoun wrote. “She is excited for the opportunity to study design and fashion and I feel confident that with her work experience, Chennelle will excel in any program she chooses to follow.”
‘An indomitable spirit’
Violet Lepe grew up with a strong work ethic from her parents. They instilled a sense of responsibility and determination, which should serve her well this fall when she becomes the first in her family to attend college.
Angelia Rosende, Lepe’s high school mathematics instructor, saw the young woman’s determination.
“As a pre-calculus student, Violet has demonstrated an aptitude for mathematics, enjoyment of challenging problems and an indomitable spirit,” Rosende wrote in her letter of recommendation for Lepe to receive an Alpine Bank scholarship.
During high school, Lepe succeeded academically and in sports – she was the captain of Basalt High’s volleyball team – and participated in choir, musicals, Key Club community service projects and her church youth group.
‘So many opportunities’
Eddy Meraz knows that the statistics of a Latino male graduating from high school are somewhat daunting.
In his Alpine Bank Scholarship application, he wrote that Latino males have a 42 percent chance of not graduating from high school. And for first-generation college students – the first in their families to attend college – he cited Valerie McKay, Ph.D., a University of Oklahoma professor, who stated that 43 percent of those students leave without receiving a degree.
However Meraz, a first-generation college student himself, doesn’t intend to become a negative statistic.
“He produces his best work when presented with a challenge,” wrote Laura French, Meraz’s high school science teacher.
Meraz is off to a solid start. He earned a 3.5 GPA in high school, taking classes such as chemistry, physics and upper-level mathematics, and has set his sights on becoming an engineer or an architect. He’ll join the Colorado Mountain College student body this fall.
“Eddy is a multi-talented young man with so many opportunities awaiting him,” stated French.
‘Passionate to serve’
Carla Cortes said that when she was a child, her father was absent, and her single mother had just a sixth-grade education and worked to provide for Cortes and her two sisters.
But what Cortes did have was community support as a Little Buddy in the local Buddy Program. That help led her to tutor at the Basalt Regional Library and mentor students at the Ross Montessori School in Carbondale.
Cortes hopes to earn an associate degree in general studies at Colorado Mountain College, then to eventually earn a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.
“I want to be a fully educated and trained police officer,” she said. “I am very passionate to serve my community and I understand that comes with a lot of responsibility.”
Sarah Fedishen, who was paired with Cortes in the Buddy Program in 2007, has watched her Little Buddy bloom.
“Over the years, I have watched Carla achieve her goals one by one,” Fedishen wrote in her letter of recommendation for the Alpine Bank scholarship. “Carla can do anything she puts her mind to and has the support of the Buddy Program, her school staff and me!”
‘There is always a way’
For Stephany Ortega, receiving the Alpine Bank Scholarship has been an emotional experience.
“It’s a feeling I can’t explain,” she said. “For my family, it’s a tough time. My mom is currently unemployed. I’m worried about my family. So receiving this scholarship is a huge relief.”
Ortega, who wants to pursue a career in medicine, carries more responsibilities than most newly graduated high school seniors. Besides maintaining a positive reputation with her studies and activities, she has taken an algebra class at Colorado Mountain College – her first college class.
She also has worked two jobs to help support her family, which includes her mother, grandmother, brother and sister.
As a first-generation student, she is determined to do well at Colorado Mountain College. Her scholarship will allow her to focus on her studies.
“I’m not discouraged by obstacles because I believe there is always a way around or through them,” she said.
Preparing for college
When Raul Rios’ father was rushed to the hospital last fall for surgery, the teenager’s hopes to attend college went with him. The family is now paying off hospital bills, and with rent, a car payment and living expenses, there is no money for college.
With the Alpine Bank Scholarship, however, Rios can now focus his goals on attending Colorado Mountain College and eventually becoming an architectural engineer.
Rios comes from a hard-working family. His father and uncles have worked in the construction industry for years, and Rios has joined them, working on job sites during summer breaks. His experience has inspired him to want to go on to college – and to prepare for it.
“Raul attended college boot camp at CU-Boulder and a variety of college preparation activities throughout his time at Glenwood Springs High School,” wrote Lisa Hartert, Rios’ English teacher, in her letter of recommendation for the Alpine Bank scholarship. “He is committed to furthering his education.”