The Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office has awarded its annual $1,000 scholarship to senior Kira Galbraith.
This is the third year the Sheriff’s Office has presented the award, which aims to honor students for leadership, merit and other exemplary qualities.
“I’m very honored and very thankful,” Galbraith said.
Next year, she’s off to Colorado State University in Fort Collins, and hopes go to veterinary school. She’s wanted to be a veterinarian since she was 4 years old, when she had a life-changing experience.
“My mom had this really good friend with a lot of horses,” Galbraith said. “And one night, her horse was having a baby, and so we went over there in the middle of the night, and I helped birth this foal.”
Since then, she’s done everything she could to pursue veterinary dreams, including participating in the Pinhead Internship Program to work at the Forest Park Animal Hospital in Panama City, Florida. She heads back there this summer.
She has a well-rounded high school education, participating in band for four years, volleyball for two years and the honors diploma program. And she also supported Montezuma-Cortez Middle School students by serving as an assistant volleyball coach and leading note-taking classes.
“I’ve been really determined to get on the right track for college,” Galbraith said.
A panel of community members was in charge of selecting the scholarship winner. Applicants were full-time, legal Colorado residents planning to attend a Colorado university, college or trade school.
This year, 14 students applied, said Cindy Ramsay of the Sheriff’s Office grants division. The citizens committee looked for qualities including leadership, merit, character, involvement, purpose and need.
Kasey Wallace from Dolores High School was chosen as the runner-up. According to Ramsay, the committee selects a runner-up in case the situation changes – like last year, when the winner received a full scholarship, and the Sheriff’s Office could pass on the money to the second-place candidate.
“Congratulations to you both for outstanding scholastic achievements,” Ramsay said in a statement.
Funds for the scholarship program came from MCSO employees and the Mancos Days Committees, according to Ramsay.
