Victor and Mona DeRouis always felt a strong attachment to their alma mater. When Victor immigrated from Peru to southern California in 1949, Vanguard University (the Southern California Bible College) was one of the first places where he felt a deep connection. That connection grew when he met fellow student Mona Hoiland who had traveled to southern California from Montana to attend SCBC to become a school teacher. Victor and Mona fell in love, married, and raised their family in the Los Angeles area. While Victor started Welco Electronics, an electronics distribution company serving the aerospace industry, Mona shared her love of music, singing, and God with her children.
The DeRouises felt so blessed by the school that had become both their home away from home. Victor once shared, “When you’re alone and have no relatives and you find people that appreciate you, you feel secure. That’s the feeling I had there. I remember the fellowship of the student body. I wanted to give something back to show my appreciation.”
Vanguard University proudly offers two endowed scholarships to students each year because of the DeRouis’ generosity and faithfulness: the Victor and Mona DeRouis Endowed Scholarship and the D.T. Jenkins Endowed Scholarship. Both scholarships were created to support students preparing for work or ministry in Latin America. The D.T. Jenkins scholarship is also available to students working with Hispanic church and community leaders locally or internationally. Victor once said, “We want to help make this education possible for someone.” Even though Victor and Mona are now with the Lord, they are still impacting Vanguard University students with their incredible gift.