Eric and Cheryl Alpha Family Foundation
The Eric and Cheryl Alpha Family Foundation Endowment was established by Cheryl Alpha in 2025.
In their own words, Cheryl Alpha, shares the story behind their connection to CMU and what inspired them to give.
Back in 1963, when I graduated from high school, there were only three career paths for women: teaching, nursing, and secretarial work. I was lucky to have parents who believed in me and encouraged me to pursue higher education. Since my mom and older sister were both teachers, I thought I’d follow in their footsteps. But then, something really changed that first fall when walking across campus to give a speech to my speech class. I learned that President Kennedy had just been shot. As I was walking to give that speech, my first thought was “Maybe I will not have to give that dreaded speech after all”. But then I felt bad at myself for thinking that way. Over the next few weeks, when it seemed like the whole country was in mourning, I kept thinking about my first reaction when hearing the terrible news. If I was so scared of giving a speech in front of my peers, maybe teaching was the wrong career choice. So I decided to work as a nurse’s aide that following summer, and that is when I knew I wanted to become a nurse. I’ve never regretted that decision!
It has been almost 60 years now, and I still believe nursing was the perfect career choice for me. The top reasons I can think of are helping others in such a personal and meaningful way, learning new and exciting things in the medical world every day, the ease of finding a job, having many different career options within the profession, and being able to balance my career with being a wife and mother.
I was amazingly lucky to meet my amazing husband, K. Eric Alpha, while I was working as an RN in Chicago during my first year out of school. Eric was in his senior year of dental school, and after graduation, he went on to pursue further education in his chosen field, periodontics. In addition to his dedication to his career, Eric was a lifelong learner and teacher, especially when it came to all things geology. Sadly, Eric passed away in 2014 at the young age of 71 due to pulmonary fibrosis. We were married for 46 years and have two incredible and successful sons, Kyle and Craig Alpha. I’m also blessed to be the grandmother to two wonderful boys.
My motivation to establish a nursing scholarship fund at Colorado Mesa University stems from my deep admiration for the Nursing Department. With over 50 years of experience living in Grand Junction and working at St. Mary’s Hospital, I have witnessed the remarkable discipline, dedication, and pursuit of excellence displayed by students in the program. Also being well versed in CMU’s rich nursing history and excellence, I feel a desire to support future generations of nurses.