Borrego's youth are another of our village's treasures, and they bloom every year.

This is a short sketch, chronicling the transition of one of Borrego's children, Victor Lopez, to the next chapter of his life: adulthood.

Victor is an example of the strengths that a kaleidoscope of factors can provide: a supportive family, the close-knit community of Borrego Springs, teachers, and counselors, supporting diverse needs of students in our small, rural town.

However, most of what I see in him is his ability to take advantage of this nucleus of support and thread it into success through his discipline, maturity, determination and impeccable work ethic.

He singles out his mother Erika, as a powerful influence; from his early childhood she has been the guiding light for him, instilling the importance of education, good grades and above all "being a good, responsible human being."

Victor told me that since he was really young, he wanted to be a medical doctor, taking care of the sick and the infirm. However, as he started to get more aware of the real world, he recognized the challenges of medical school.

He could deal with the pressures of the studies, but what about the colossal debt and the work-life balance later? He thought about a "smart" compromise – what if he became involved in the health and patient care industry instead? – A win-win situation.

With this goal, he applied and got accepted to CSU-Chico, one of the premier institutions in the field of healthcare administration.

In his first semester, far away from home, he fought against bouts of loneliness and insecurity, but overcame all of that as he declared Healthcare Administration as his major at the end of his freshman year. And there has been no looking back since then.

As he gained more experience and many accolades during his next few years, he decided at the start of his senior year that offering "hands-on" care was most important to him. He concluded that he would most likely not get this in the ultra-competitive environment of a "for-profit" healthcare services company.

So Victor enlisted in the Air Force and is waiting to choose his training field. His primary choices are: Aerospace Medical Services, Surgical, or Emergency Medical Services.

He will go for a six-month training program after he chooses a job category, prior to deployment. He feels that the "on the job training" along with the discipline and a structured environment will help enhance his foundational strength.

A few examples of his awards at CSU Chico include: Academic Achievement in Health Services Administration Award and the Foster G. McGaw Scholarship Award, both for having the highest GPA in his junior class, in addition to multiple Dean's list felicitations.

He also holds an officer position in the Chico Health Administration Club, where he is the Events Coordinator.

He thanks his family and the Borrego Springs community for the strong support, as well as BASIC, Joe Ellis (ex-CEO of Ellis Farms) and Vincenzo Morelli for the financial assistance that helped him steer out of debt and focus on academic pursuits. We cannot but feel proud of Victor and the children of Borrego Springs.

Here's wishing you all a great life ahead and we know you will make us proud.