Scholarships
for
Excellence
Jayleen Robles
Javier Delgado Memorial Scholarship
$1200
Hi , my name is Jayleen Robles and I was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. I am a graduate of Austin High School for the class of 2023. My family has been my greatest inspiration due to providing their full support and efforts to guide me to accomplish my dreams. Ever since I was in elementary, I knew I wanted to be an Austin Panther Cheerleader so that grew my dream of wanting to attend Austin. I attended Austin by getting accepted to the Sandra Day'O Connor Academy to pursue a Criminal Justice field. I began to join many sports and organizations like Student Council, National Honor Society, Track, Cheer, and Cross Country. These organizations have shaped me into the strong woman I am today. This is by learning about leadership skills and having awesome mentors and coaches who have assisted me in being the best I can be. I am forever grateful that I came to Austin because this is truly my second home where I have made lifelong friendships and connections. I am very thankful to be the All Austin Girl and Homecoming Queen for the class of 2023! Austin High School has brought out the best of me by becoming an outgoing and smart individual by graduating top 2% of my class. I will continue to pursue my education at the University of Texas at Austin as a Nursing Major. I will continue to give back to my community and Austin High School forever.
Mia Villela
Javier Delgado Memorial Scholarship
$1200
My name is Mia Villela, and I was born and raised in El Paso. I am graduating as valedictorian of the class of 2023. During my first few years of elementary and middle school, I lived in Socorro, and it never went through my mind having to move to a whole different place during my middle school years. It took a long time to feel at home again as I no longer had those friends, I thought I would go to the rest of school with. Being a new student is not the best feeling, but it was all worth it as I look back at those times now. I met wonderful people I can call my friends, and teachers who inspired
me every year. Although I was sad to leave my friends and my old home, the most important thing to me is my family and if I had them, I did not care about the rest. My parents have always supported me no matter what path I took. They always did what they thought was best for me and I could not be more grateful to them. Everything I know and the person I am today is because of them.
Being involved in school is one of the most rewarding things I could have done in high school. I played softball during my freshman, sophomore, and senior year. I was a part of the Sandra Day O’ ConnorPublic Service Academy during my four years at Austin high school. During my junior year I joined the Central Regional Command Cadets with the El Paso Police Department. I was inducted into the National Honor Society my sophomore year and I received the academic award jacket for being top 5% of my class. And lastly, I joined student council my senior year. Being involved in school made high school memorable as I got to spend it all with my friends contributing to our own school and the community. I plan to continue this path as I attend UTEP thanks to all the opportunities I have received including this one.
Brandon Lopez
Katherine Victoria Aguilar
Memorial Scholarship
$1000
My name is Brandon Lopez, and I have lived in El Paso all my life. I owe all my success to the supporters of my life such as my teachers, coaches, friends, and family. I participated in numerous activities around school such as Track and Field, Football, STUCO, and Theater just to name a few. My time at Austin has been nothing short of incredible thanks to the amazing people around me. I will be attending UTEP in the fall of 2023 with a major in criminal justice.assistance that this school gave me, I would not be who I am today.
Yareth Abigail Lujan Altamira
Stella Adams Memorial Scholarship
$1000
Hello! My name is Yareth Abigail Lujan Altamira, but people always call Abby or Abigail. I was born in Greeley, Colorado on July 12th, 2005 but since I was a months old and till this day I have been living in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. My Journey studying in the U.S. started in my sophomore year and right now as a graduated Austin High School student, I can say that waking up at 4 in the morning and crossing the border every day and all the other sacrifices were worth it. Definitely coming to study here at Austin High School was one of the best decisions I have ever taken. I couldn’t have done it without the help and support of my family, closest friends and teachers which I am very grateful to have. I will continue my education at the University of Texas at El Paso in the health care field tu pursue my career as a Registered Nurse and later on get my master’s to become a Nurse Practitioner.
Reed Delp
Expatriate Scholarship
$1000
My name is Reed Delp, part of class of 2023 and pursuing graphic design in Maryland’s Institute College of Art. I came to El Paso in 2018 with my family and live in Fort Bliss. In 2019 I was enrolled in Austin High School, where I spent freshmen to senior year. I’m extremely grateful to have received financial aid from the Austin Alumni Association, and I wish to tell what led me to this point. I’m half Navajo, on my mother’s side of the family, and a quarter Somoan, under my father’s side. I was raised with two older sisters and a younger brother, this made life pretty busy with all of us in the house. Additionally, as a perk (or inconvenience) of being a military family, moving around constantly made for a tenuous childhood.
My parents became patient in raising us, and so the results followed. Both of my older sisters graduated with extraordinary academic ability, which extended into their college careers. They supported me and advised me on nearly every pitfall and obstacle in my high school, and eventually, college days. Being next in line to graduate, I was determined to meet their expectations in my own way. This would take form in my life’s passion in art.
From a young age I demonstrated exceptional artistic ability, although it mainly existed as a hobby. As I grew, it transformed into a passion, one I would pursue as a professional career. I’d constantly stop to analyze the details of landscapes and objects, making note of every shade that defined its theme and tone. When I came to El Paso, the usual themes I associated with deserts were redefined. The usual tan and olive shades were expanded into purple mixed brows and vibrant greens, all of which I was pleasantly surprised to see.This contributed to my affinity with El Paso, however it didn’t encompass my whole experience. The people have a strong sense of community and compassion here, and it showed nowhere greater than in my academic experience. Specifically under CCTE, while I studied graphic design in my junior and senior years, my teacher extended his help towards mediums of art beyond graphic design. His name is Mr. Novo and he encouraged and mentored me in painting, sketching, and even 3D printing. This quality is prominent in everybody that I met in El Paso, and gave way to my likeness towards this city.
In the end, I spent my years of high school as an Austin Panther. I would proudly proclaim
this even outside of Texas, and let my artwork reflect that statement.
Yassef Santiago Saez
Expatriate
Scholarship
$1000
My story began on January 1st of 2005, being the first person born in Puerto Rico that year. My first language was Spanish, though I started learning English early in my life since I was enrolled in a bilingual school. Education was always something that I took seriously, even from an early age. I found a real passion for learning as much as I could, and thrived in school because of that. During the summer before 7th grade, I had to move to Fort Polk in Louisiana. This is because my stepdad is in the military, and he was stationed there at the time. This was an incredibly hard time in my life, as I had to leave my friends, family, and home for a completely new life. It was hard to adapt to the new environment, but I was able to make friends that helped me through the process. Once I became accustomed to life there, life returned to normalcy, though that didn’t last for too long. After around 3 years, I had to move again, ending up in El Paso, Texas this time around. This was another hard time in my life, especially since soon after I started school we had to go virtual due to the covid-19 pandemic. I tried to make the best out of the situation, and I believe that I was able to do so. Looking back on the last 4 years from the perspective of a high school graduate, I can’t say I regret anything. I met amazing peers and teachers, got involved with my school, and even made it into the top 10 students of the Senior class of 2023. Now that this chapter of my life has concluded, I’m looking forward to attending UT Austin this upcoming fall, and I plan to get as much out of my time in college as I got out of high school.
Mia Maestas
William Luther
Memorial Scholarship
$750
My name is Mia Maestas, and I am a graduate of the Class of 2023 at Austin High School. I grew here in El Paso, Texas and was raised by my parents alongside my three other siblings. Growing up I knew it was important to work hard as my parents always did for our family. I graduated top 10% of my class and was involved with many extracurricular activities during high school. I live in Northeast El Paso, but I decided to come to Austin High School as the school offered the Sandra Day O’ Conner Public Service Academy. I am very thankful I attended Austin High School as these four years I learned more about myself, my interests, and how to become a more confident young woman. I was able to graduate with high grades and meet many amazing people. My teachers and friends made my experience an Austin High School one of the best. I am very thankful for the opportunities I have been given at this school. I plan to go to El Paso Community College this summer to study psychology. My main goal for my future is to become a defense attorney and specialize in cases involving mental health issues. It is a passion of mine to advocate for those who are looked down upon due to deteriorating mental health. I would like to thank the Austin Alumni Association for this scholarship to help me in my academic career. I would also like to thank my family for always encouraging me to try my best and keep going even when times get tough.
Alan Guerrero Loya
William Luther
Memorial Scholarship
$750
Hello, my name is Alan Guerrero Loya. I am a member of the Austin High School graduating class of 2023 and, as you may already know, a recipient of the William Luthor Lyon Scholarship. I wanted to take the time to introduce myself and give a little insight into myself.
Just like any story, mine begins with my birth. I was born on December 26th, 2005, just one day after Christmas, in the city of Juarez, Chihuahua, north of Mexico. Being right across the border certainly made living in the US someday more attractive and more plausible to most, but it wasn’t in my mind at the time. Sure, I had the curiosity that anyone would, but I never imagined living here. Yet, here we are, already almost 7 years living in El Paso, TX at the time of this writing.
My immediate family has always taught me the importance of education, but before we get to that, I feel like I need to provide some context first. You see, both my mom and dad come from humble beginnings. They were not starving, but they did not have many luxuries most take for granted. They both had to make sacrifices; sacrifices that, in their eyes, would have been less severe had they gotten an education. My mom was further developing her academic career, but once she had my big sisters, she knew she had to make sacrifices. As for my dad, he had to make the sacrifice of going truck driving in the US to earn more money and, as he has put it, “miss out” on us growing up.
Now that we're thankfully financially well off and living here, they have always, from the beginning, emphasized the importance of education, especially in this country. Sure, they acknowledge that there’ll still be challenges, but at least I’ll have another tool under my belt. They have put more emphasis on me going to study now that I’ll be the first one of my immediate family to graduate from a university since the rest of my siblings either already have a family, a job, or both.
Thanks to all their teachings, I feel like I’m prepared for the next big step in my life. It’ll not be easy, but I feel like my parents and my family have helped me really have my priorities straight and be able to adapt. They have taught me the value of hard work and that the right people will notice my efforts, to persevere, to not give up, and to give myself a chance and have patience. They have taught me to be grateful for opportunities that present themselves and make the most of them. Most importantly, they have taught me that if I do what I love in a smart way, I will succeed. No matter how big or small, I will succeed.
My story may not be the most extravagant, nor the most exciting, but this is just the beginning. Just wait a couple of decades and see.
Alondra Galindo-Gonzalez
William Luther
Memorial Scholarship
$750
My name is Alondra Galindo-Gonzalez, a proud first generation high school graduate. I come from a rich mexican culture where we take pride of where we come from. I plan to attend the University of Texas at El Paso where I will major in Chicano Studies. I’ve always known I wanted to be someone who can help others in need. I never knew where to direct this passion of mine till I heard about the Sandra Day O’ Connor Public Service Academy at Austin High School. They opened a new door I never thought I’d walk through. Thanks to such amazing mentors, I discovered my pathway into the law field. I was able to be part of the first Congressional Youth Advisory Council with Congresswoman Veronica Escobar which then landed me an internship opportunity to work with her over the summer! Austin has given so much guidance and support throughout these past four years. I was able to graduate not only graduate top 10% of my class, but also top 2%! It has truly been a journey. Austin panther’s forever!
Karen Rivas
Eleanor Duke
Memorial Scholarship
$500
My name is Karen Rivas, I am 18 years old and was born in El Paso, Texas. I grew up in a family of five. I am the smallest of my siblings. The two cities where I have resided most of my life are El Paso and Ciudad Juarez. Since my whole childhood life, I grew up in a Spanish household, speaking English was not always an easy task for me. My parents have always been my biggest inspiration for me because despite the fact that they married very young, they have known how to overcome obstacles, even though we don’t have the luxuries, love was always there. I have always lived by my mom’s quote “Tu eres el arquitecto de tu vidaa” which means you are the architect of your life. Learning has not always been easy to me for my first years at school, but over time I have been able to adapt and overcome my learning struggles. Sick days were not an excuse to not attend school, therefore I was present every single day. I was always a person that wanted to be outstanding in all my classes. Some of my hobbies are watching movies and playing soccer. Sports have been a major influence throughout my life from playing in a soccer team at 5 years old to running for my school cross country and track team winning a few medals. Later on, joining my High School Varsity soccer team as a captain eventually getting to play-offs. Leadership and perseverance was key to being able to accomplish the goals I met. I have managed to show passion and some determination at what I do. During my junior and senior year of high school I have managed to get my cosmetology license even if days were rough, I never gave up. Throughout school, I have always been interested in medical topics which I have decided to attend EPPC, where I intend to pursue the career of Medical Sonography.