This year’s Alpine Bank Latino/Hispanic Scholarship program is helping 11 students from Western Slope high schools attend Colorado Mountain College. Alpine Bank has been awarding scholarships to qualified students since the program began in 1996 and, to date, has financed more than 170 scholarships. ENews has been running a series of profiles on these hopeful, hardworking students. Two recipients, one from from Glenwood Springs and one from Roaring Fork High School, are highlighted below.
Two seniors earn assistance to attend Colorado Mountain College
Two local seniors, one from Glenwood Springs High School and one from Roaring Fork High School, earned 2014 Alpine Bank scholarships: Katia Reyes-Castillo and Elide Andrade.
To be considered for these specialized scholastic awards, students must be of Latino/Hispanic descent, classify as an in-district student, have at least a 2.5 GPA and demonstrate financial need, among other criteria. Each scholarship – which equals $2,200 a year – helps to cover the cost of tuition, fees and books for two years.
Glenwood scholarship recipient plans to serve students who struggle to learn
Katia Reyes-Castillo, a Glenwood Springs High School graduating senior, has wanted to be a teacher for almost as long as she remembers. Though only 17, she’s been teaching at St. Stephens Catholic Church in Glenwood for six years. She started as a room helper and took on her own class after she was confirmed.
Last year, she took a service learning class through GSHS and spent time with a kindergarten student who has learning disabilities. “He was so inspiring,” said Reyes-Castillo. “He worked really hard, and he just wanted to learn so badly.”
That experience led Reyes-Castillo to set her sights on becoming a special education teacher. “I want to give them confidence in themselves, make them believe that they are great and perfect,” she wrote in her application essay.
She knew she would need preparation to become a great teacher and was thrilled to learn she’d be able to pursue her education near home, at Colorado Mountain College. “After CMC,” she said, “I will apply to attend the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. I’d like to work as a special education teacher at an elementary school, because I can make the biggest difference there.”
Reyes-Castillo said that without the scholarship, she would have had to wait a year before beginning her coursework. “Now, I can go to college next year without worrying about how to pay for my tuition, fees and books,” she said.
Carbondale student aims for career in social work
Elide Andrade, a graduating senior at Roaring Fork High School, came to this country from Zacatecas, Mexico, just before her third birthday. Financial constraints prevented her parents from completing high school, so Andrade will be the first in her family to earn a diploma and go on to college.
Matt Wells, a social studies instructor at RFHS, recommended Andrade for “her work ethic, her willingness to think critically and meaningfully about American history and government, and her gentle demeanor.” He also said she was the strongest student in his Fundamentals of American Democracy class last year.
In addition to working a part-time job and being involved in school clubs and activities, Andrade volunteered for the Asociación de Jóvenes Unidos en Acción advocating for immigrant rights. She also helped organize a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals drive at her school. Alongside attorneys and other volunteers, she assisted fellow students in completing the paperwork they needed to apply for college and college scholarships.
Andrade received the letter that she herself was an Alpine Bank scholarship recipient the day of her senior prom. “When I opened it, I was so excited I literally jumped up and down,” she said.
“I’m interested in social work, because I’ve always enjoyed working with people,” Andrade said. She hopes to attend CMC for two years and then transfer to Metropolitan State University of Denver.
This year’s other scholarship recipients and their respective high schools are Magdalena Hermosillo-Velez, Rifle High School; Alex Jaquez-Caro, Coal Ridge High School; Andy Sandoval, Eagle Valley High School; Thelma Juarez, Battle Mountain High School; Pedro Gallegos, Red Canyon High School; Cinthia Valderrama, Summit High School; Celeste Portillo, Steamboat Springs High School; Joeli Villa Cedeno, Aspen High School; and Wilber Marquez, Basalt High School.