Being raised in a community where your history connects to every part of your present, it is difficult to find the courage to leave. It is similarly difficult to forge a path and stay. Questa del Rio News is committed to highlighting different members of our community, both those who have created their paths and planted their own roots in the community that raised them, and those who have pursued lives outside of the community—through our Representando series. This series is dedicated to those who are Representando communities in northern Taos County, in various facets of life.
At the helm of La Clinica de Familia as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Virgil Medina measures success not by the qualifications on a resume, but by the virtues for which one hopes to be remembered. It is a powerful philosophy, one created in the close-knit community of his hometown of Questa, where he was raised on a foundation of faith, family, and a strong sense of identity and purpose.
Medina’s story begins on the well-known Cabresto Road in Questa, where he grew up as one of 15 siblings on a 10-acre plot surrounded by family. “It was like living with multiple parents,” he recalls a system of support that was essential after the sudden passing of his father, Antonio, when Virgil was in the third grade. His mother, Lucy, became the family’s anchor, working as a school cook and cleaning rooms in Red River. “My mother was such a hard worker,” he says, his voice filled with gratitude. He remembers her leaving a list of chores for her children in the morning, a task they would complete before walking to the lake to fish all day. On her way home from work, she would pick them up, and they would head home together—a cherished memory for Medina and his siblings.
The lessons he learned from his mother’s faith made a tremendous impact on Medina. He served as an altar boy at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church from his youth until he graduated from high school, watching his mother dedicate herself to the parish. “I remember my mom cleaning the parish center, vacuuming the church and ironing the altar linens… She did all of that while working and raising her kids. I don’t know how she did it,” he says. Medina recalled his mother participating in the local Catholic Daughter’s group as well as the first all-women group who walked in the annual Pilgrimage for Vocations. Guided by his mother, Medina began his annual pilgrimage beginning at age nine and participated for 10 years.
Medina’s youth was also defined by a spirit of community and the outdoors. He was a four-sport athlete, and he credits his high school football and baseball coach, Andy Gallegos, for a life-changing lesson. “He never allowed us to think less of ourselves and he always made sure we knew through hard work and dedication and focus on school that anything could be accomplished.” This belief was reinforced by local leaders who encouraged student-athletes to serve as role models, giving him the confidence he needed to pursue his goals and objectives. “They wanted to make sure I had those in place so I could move forward in whatever I decided to do. The community always supported the student athletes and everyone kept up with what was happening in local sports. It was very encouraging,” says Medina. Medina believes that positive influences are crucial for helping kids today move forward and find their path.
While athletic scholarships were offered upon graduation, Medina found the transition to life outside of Questa challenging. After a brief time in college at Highlands University and St. Mary of the Plains College in Kansas, he returned home to be closer to his family. It was in Las Cruces, however, that he found his footing, earning a degree in health care administration and building a family with his wife, Sofia. Together, they have three children and six grandchildren.
After starting out at Kinko’s in management, and then at Starbucks, Medina found himself being recruited as someone who can identify company issues and help set them on the right track. Medina’s career path—from management at Kinko’s and Starbucks to his current role as CEO of La Clinica de Familia in Las Cruces—showcases his leadership skills he was able to grow from his youth. Now, with 15 years in his current position, he and his family carry his mother’s memory forward with the annual “Lucy’s Kids” family reunion in Questa, a yearly tribute to the legacy she left behind.
His philosophy today reflects his past: “Faith first, family always, and work with a purpose.” He emphasizes that while we build our careers on “resume virtues,” the true measure of a life is found in our “eulogy virtues.” He offers a final, heartfelt piece of advice: “You’re here today and gone tomorrow. Go home to your family and don’t lose sight of them.”
