Victor Murgia enrolled at McCurdy School in Espanola, New Mexico in the fall of 1988 from Calexico, California. His grandmother had heard about McCurdy through the Neighborhood House, a United Methodist community center in Calexico. She felt Victor would profit from a new environment in a Christian setting. Victor's goal was to learn the English language. He attended McCurdy for three years, lived in the dormitory, was active in student government, participated in athletics, and became fluent in English.
Victor had problems, however. He displayed patterns of violent behavior and struggled with alcohol abuse. McCurdy's substance abuse counselor worked closely with Victor, who graduated in the spring of 1991.
The staff of McCurdy did not hear from Victor until three years later when the counselor received a post card from Mexico. It read, "Hi, everybody! You'll never believe this, but all your prayers finally paid off. I finally accepted Christ, and I have a calling to the ministry."
In 1995 and 1996, the McCurdy Development Office heard from several conference secretaries of global ministries who had visited the Methodist seminary in Mexico City. They shared stories about a seminary student named Victor who wanted to tell his story of McCurdy.
The history of McCurdy includes the stories of many Victors.