Alpine Bank awards CMC scholarship to local student
When instructors at Summit High School recommended María Teresa Puerta-Giraldo for the Alpine Bank Latino/Hispanic scholarship, they spoke at length about her determination and bravery.
The recent high school graduate moved with her mother and two brothers from Columbia two years ago. She arrived knowing very little English. Her mother struggled to support the family, as Puerta-Giraldo’s father had passed away when the girl was 2 years old.
But in two short years, she has pushed herself to overcome these challenges, she said. She excelled in the English language acquisition program, earned an academic recognition award, maintained a 3.4 GPA at her new high school and adjusted to a new culture in Colorado. To prepare for college and her professional career, she took pre-collegiate courses and last summer participated in a pre-collegiate academic boot camp at the University of Colorado in Boulder.
This May, Puerta-Giraldo received the Alpine Bank scholarship to cover costs to attend college. She is among 17 students from Western Slope high schools to receive assistance from Alpine Bank to attend Colorado Mountain College this fall.
Puerta-Giraldo said she is grateful for the support her mother has given her through the difficulties they have faced, but she knew her mother would not be able to pay for her college education. She said she hopes her education will not only benefit herself, but her family as well.
“My mom is very happy I’m going to college to improve my life,” she said. “She has worked very hard so I can improve my life.”
Puerta-Giraldo wants to earn a science degree and move on to a university to study medicine. She wants to be a medical professional specializing in pediatrics, especially working with low-income families.
“I have learned that every difficulty in life has a meaning; a lesson you can learn,” she wrote in her scholarship application. “I am aware that college will test my determination, but my passion and perseverance is what will allow me to succeed.”