Every year, the Montrose County Democratic Party awards two scholarships in honor of Gayle Clarke, who was an amazing woman, Democrat, and is missed dearly. The scholarships are awarded to Montrose County High School seniors who have excelled both scholastically and in the community.
This year, the Democratic Party says it is especially proud of the winners, Zachary Vincent and Lily Burton, as well as their teachers who gave their all to ensure they graduated on time in a year that was more than challenging for everyone.
Vincent won the $2,000 scholarship. He has lived in Montrose all his life and graduated from Montrose High school. He loves playing the trumpet in the high school band as well as competing in speech and debate doing international extemporaneous speaking. He will be attending the University of St. Andrews, Scotland in September, studying history. His goal after that is to pursue a Ph.D. in art history. He wants to use this education to become a museum curator, making history more accessible than ever to new audiences and ensuring that information is shared in the best way possible.
Burton, winner of the $1,000 scholarship, is a senior who graduated from Montrose High School in the top 5% of her class. She has been a gymnast for the past 15½ years, and just finished her 10th competition this season. She loves to go camping, hiking, and do really anything outdoors.
She is going to Fort Lewis College in Durango next year to major in exercise physiology. Her goal after that is to go to a university and obtain my doctorate in physical therapy. She has always wanted to go into the medical field and help people. With physical therapy, she gets to watch patients through their recovery process, and she couldn’t be more excited for her future.