Finding a Home

Victor and Mona DeRouis' connection to Vanguard was always strong. When Victor immigrated from Peru to southern California in 1949, Vanguard University was one of the first places he felt a deep connection with. His connection grew when he met fellow student Mona Hoiland. Mona traveled to southern California from Montana to attend Vanguard and further her education to become a school teacher. Victor and Mona fell in love, married and raised their family in the Los Angeles area. While Victor started an electronics distribution company, Welco Electronics, which serving the aerospace industry, Mona shared her love of music, singing, and God with her children.

The DeRouis' left a legacy of strong Christian faith, which was reinforced by their time at Vanguard. They felt so blessed by Vanguard; the school had become both Victor and Mona's home away from home. Victor once stated, "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 can now proudly offer two additional 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 was remembered saying "We want to help make this education possible for someone," and even though the Victor and Mona are now with the Lord, they are still impacting current and future Vanguard University students with their incredible gift."