Fabiola M. Vigil Memorial Scholarship Recipients
Our scholarship recipients will be working towards an education in STEM and renewable energy
2024 VFF Scholars
1st Place: $6,000 Scholarship
Emma Kitchens
Graduated: Pojoaque Valley High School
Going to: Central Methodist University
2nd Place: $4,000 Scholarship
Araya Vigil
Graduated: Pojoaque Valley High School
Going to: Texas A&M College Station
Araya Vigil graduated from Pojoaque Valley High School Class of 2024 as the class Valedictorian. She grew up in Nambe Pueblo where she enjoys sports and raising show steers for 4-H. Araya plans to attend Texas A&M College Station in the fall as a General Engineering major, hoping to declare as a Biomedical Engineering major. Her overall main goal is to become a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine to help the local Northern New Mexico community.
3rd Place: $2,000
Kaylee Martinez
Graduated: Pojoaque Valley High School
Going to: New Mexico State University
I am from Ohkay Owingeh, NM. I graduated from Pojoaque Valley High School and I am attending New Mexico State University majoring in Nursing. I am planning on getting my Bachelors degree and pursuing a career in the Pediatric field. I have always been passionate about helping others, especially children. I am very grateful to have been granted this scholarship for my education.
4th Place (Honorable Mention): $1,000
Rayna Vigil
Graduated: Espanola Valley High School
Going to: Northern New Mexico College
2023 VFF Scholars
2nd Place: $4,000 Scholarship
Rhyen Vigil
Rhyen Vigil was the Class of 2023 Salutatorian at Peñasco High School. Alongside graduating high school, she also completed an Associate of Science in Pre-Science through The University of New Mexico-Taos. Raised in Northern New Mexico, she has always been passionate about the forest and the outdoors and is preparing for a career in natural resource management. In the Fall, she will be attending New Mexico Highlands University to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Conservation Management. She wants to directly influence the way that people and the natural environment coexist and thrive in New Mexico.
3rd Place: $2,000
Gabriel Law
Gabriel Law is a graduate of Española Valley High School. He graduated ranked 2nd in his class and was the class salutatorian. He plans to attend New Mexico State university and earn his master’s degree in accounting. He was an avid member of the National Honors Society for three years and played basketball for his full four years, earning a spot on the varsity team senior year.
2022 VFF Scholars
1st Place: $6,000 Scholarship
Lucas Tiede
Lucas Tiede is a native of Chimayo, NM. He graduated from Pojoaque Valley High School with a #1 class ranking. He is an active member of the Santa Fe/Del Norte Boys and Girls Club and competed at the State level for both Cross Country and Track. He will pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science with a minor in Environmental Science at New Mexico State University (NMSU). He is passionate about protecting our environment and aims to help his community transition to living sustainably.
2nd Place: $4,000 Scholarship
Lucien Badash-Dyer
Lucian Badash-Dyer graduated at the top of his class at Peñasco High School in Penasco, NM. He will be attending The University of New Mexico (UNM) main campus starting in the fall of 2022 to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Emergency Medical Services. He became interested in pursuing emergency medicine after completing a Emergency Medical Responder course and ski patrolling at Sipapu ski resort in Vadito, NM. After earning a bachelor’s degree, he intends to attend medical school to become a surgeon.
3rd Place: A tie for $2,000 Scholarship each
Christian Holguin
Cristian Holguin is a recent graduate from Pojoaque Valley High School in Santa Fe, NM. He will be attending the University of New Mexico in the fall to major in Biochemistry. Christian’s main goal for the future is to finish his education with the hope of helping those around him.
Marissa Abeyta
Marissa Abeyta attended Española Valley High School in Española, NM. She plans to attend Texas A&M University to major in Biomedical Sciences on the Pre-Physicians Assistant track. She enjoys being outdoors, learning new concepts, being a leader in any setting and helping out others. Marissa plans on coming back to serve her community and the people within as a way of giving back to the place that raised her.
2021 VFF Scholars
1st Place
Emily Chavez
Emily Chavez was raised in Northern New Mexico and is a 2021 graduate of Española Valley High School. In the fall of 2021, she began attending New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology to study Mechanical Engineering. Emily aspires to contribute to improving technologies that will enable us to reduce the impact of climate change and make renewable energy sources more widely available.
2nd Place
Juan Branch
Juan Branch was the Class of 2021 Salutatorian at Española Valley High School. After a summer internship at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Juan began attending New Mexico State University in the fall of 2021 to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Electrical Technologies.
3rd Place
Kiara Martinez
Kiara Martinez graduated from Pojoaque Valley High School and began attending the University of New Mexico in the fall of 2021 to study Environmental Engineering.
The Vigil Family Foundation Scholarships are made possible by a generous donation from Industrial Solar Consulting