MONTE VISTA— Rebekah Altizer, Erin Burton and Tim Vigil, children of the legendary local broadcaster Gerald Vigil, have created a scholarship to honor their late father’s memory. “Dad always valued education whether it be going to college or learning a trade. He said to ‘do something you love and learn all you can about it,’” Vigil’s children said about their decision to commemorate their father with a scholarship.
The scholarship is a $1,000 award, which Altizer, Burton and Vigil chose because they thought it would significantly help alleviate the cost of college. “The criteria are a student must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, enroll full-time to an accredited two or four-year college/university and be a U.S. citizen.”
The scholarship’s first recipient is MVHS senior Steven Valdez. When asked why they selected him, Altizer stated, “We were looking for a student that was involved in the community as well as in school through clubs/sports. Our dad loved the Valley and always said yes when he was asked to do something. He was involved with Stampede, was the emcee at the veterans parade, past member/president of Kiwanis, and he was involved at church as a youth leader and worship leader. Steven is a wonderful example of going above and beyond in school and the community. He was involved in several organizations: Student Council, Key Club, FBLA, and SH.O.C.K., all of which he held officer positions. He is also involved in his church as a registered Catechist. This is all in addition to working and learning about his future career in hotel management. Steven has a clear direction about what he wants to do in life, and we are confident he will accomplish his goals.”
Valdez first heard about the scholarship from the high school counselor Lara Gordon. “ I decided to apply for it because I remember listening to Mr. Gerald Vigil on the radio on my way to school.” Valdez has served as FBLA president and was the state lt. governor of Key Club. He plans to attend Adams State University and major in small business management. “My dream is to eventually buy a hotel in the Valley, I want to stay in the valley. I’ve worked at the Comfort Inn in Alamosa for four years. I started as a housekeeper and have worked my way up to the front desk.” Valdez expressed his thanks for the $1,000 dollar scholarship, which will help him get started on the path he is dedicated to. “I’d like to thank Rebekah Altizer, Erin Burton and Tim Vigil for this opportunity and for the great honor of selecting me for their first scholarship.”
“Our dad loved the Valley and the people in it. He said that he had the best job in the world - to get up and try to start people’s day off with a laugh or smile. He always had a sense of humor. He showed us that volunteering in your community is important and we have tried to live up to his example.” The Vigil family would like to thank everyone who has donated so far. “We really appreciate everyone who has donated and helped us see this scholarship get started,” they added. If you are interested in donating for future scholars, The Gerald Vigil Scholarship Fund is at San Luis Valley Federal Bank.