Cloudy with a mixture of rain and snow this morning. Becoming partly cloudy this afternoon. High 51F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%..
Some passing clouds. Low 29F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Updated: April 30, 2025 @ 4:20 am
Maria Gurrola Tzompa shakes hands with First in Family Scholarship representatives Monday evening during the 2025 Teton County Scholarship night at Jackson Hole High School.
Shauna Earl, an AVID teacher at Jackson Hole High School, and student Viry Hernandez share an embrace Monday evening during the 2025 Teton County Scholarship night. Earl has been Hernandez’s teacher throughout high school.
Jasmine Hall covers state government and politics for the Jackson Hole News&Guide after spending two years in Wyoming’s capital. Her roots can be traced back to Appalachia and Michigan State University. Book recs and news tips welcome.
Maria Gurrola Tzompa shakes hands with First in Family Scholarship representatives Monday evening during the 2025 Teton County Scholarship night at Jackson Hole High School.
Shauna Earl, an AVID teacher at Jackson Hole High School, and student Viry Hernandez share an embrace Monday evening during the 2025 Teton County Scholarship night. Earl has been Hernandez’s teacher throughout high school.
Viry Hernandez floated through a sea of high school seniors on Monday night, hugging and greeting the donors who are helping set her up for success in the next stage of life.
The Jackson Hole High School student said her heart was filled with gratitude after finding out she received nine scholarships from community organizations through the Teton County Scholarship Program. More than 125 students from the Class of 2025 across the county received scholarships, totaling a record-breaking $1.2 million.
Herndandez said it was amazing to see what community members were willing to do for someone they didn’t even know. Heading to college also wouldn’t be possible without support from her parents and family, she said.
“I’m sure there’s no other community like Jackson Hole,” Hernandez said. “My parents chose the right place to raise us. I moved here when I was 6 from Mexico, and I don’t think that being in Mexico, I would have gotten all the opportunities that I’ve gotten now.”
Hernandez plans to head to Eastern Connecticut State University in the fall to study accounting and data analysis. She’s excited to continue making her family proud.
“I’m the first in my family to be able to attend college,” she said. “And fully funded. For free!”
The scholarship program is administered by the Fund for Public Education and the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole in partnership with the school district. It’s open to all graduating high school seniors in Teton County, including homeschoolers.
Teton County School District No. 1 Superintendent Gillian Chapman spoke about the history of the scholarship program Monday before the seniors were let loose to meet donors. She said it started in the early 1960s, when a single cow was auctioned off for about $2,000 from a local rancher. Chapman said it was incredible that the $1.2 million in scholarship money awarded to students Monday was equivalent to the one cow multiplied 600 times.
“Many of the scholarships awarded tonight come from donors who may not even know you personally, but believe so deeply in your potential and are willing to invest in your future,” she said. “Their support is a testament to the spirit in this community and a reminder of how much faith we have in each one of you receiving scholarships.”
That was not lost on the many students who buzzed with excitement in the high school gymnasium after opening envelopes that revealed the scholarships they had won. Parents and loved ones were just as thrilled.
Marisa Corbett Simpson won two scholarships, the Geologists of Jackson Hole Earth Science Scholarship and the Grand Teton Lodge Company/North Valley Scholarship. She visited donors to say thank you alongside her parents. The Willamette University bound senior said it was awesome to get support from community members to go into environmental studies and not stress about finances.
Her mother, Kirsten Corbett, was also touched.
“I’m thrilled that so many kids got awards and that they’re getting the support that they need to go and pursue what their dreams are,” she said. “I grew up and went to high school here too, and it’s just amazing for me to see the next generation go off.”
The program also highlighted how the kindness of the community could encourage students to return to Teton County. Keith Gingery, a county attorney and TCSD trustee, shared in a film the impact of a scholarship he received in 1988 when he graduated from Jackson Hole High School. His own daughter received the same scholarship last year.
He said it made it possible for him to get both his undergraduate degree and juris doctorate — a law degree — at the University of Wyoming, as well as bringing him back to Jackson.
“So much of what we’re trying to do is to not lose our largest resource,” he said. “Our largest resource being our kids.”
Deidre Ashley, executive director of the Mental Health and Recovery Services of Jackson Hole, said that goal was exactly what she had in mind when she and Sarah Cavallaro started the Teton County Social Services Scholarship six or seven years ago. Ashley said they were seeing students come into the counseling center who were utilizing their services, or who could identify with mental health and substance use struggles.
“Knowing that there’s always a shortage of providers for our agencies,” she said, “what a better way to support them than to support their education and hopefully bring them back” to practice in Jackson.
Ashley also sits on the Rotary Scholarship Committee that provided more than $250,000 for scholarships. She said there were at least 90 applications and 50 interviews conducted, which gave her the chance to see the wide range of students seeking out higher education.
The process was about more than incredible resumes, but also meeting and seeing them as individuals. Ashley said she knows the outstanding students are on the right track to success.
Contact Jasmine Hall at 307-732-7063 or state@jhnewsandguide.com.
Jasmine Hall covers state government and politics for the Jackson Hole News&Guide after spending two years in Wyoming’s capital. Her roots can be traced back to Appalachia and Michigan State University. Book recs and news tips welcome.
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