In December 2017, seniors received academic scholarships from the University of Texas at El Paso. Students say they were unaware of this and were surprised to see everyone there to celebrate the occasion.

Yamileth Escarcega received the Academic scholarship, worth $3,000 per year. Escarcega said she was surprised at the moment and didn’t know anything about her receiving a scholarship. She remembers getting to the library and seeing her parents, but not knowing what was going on.

“I was very happy at that moment, and I say I always did good throughout my four years of high school to receive a scholarship,” Escarcega said.

The money from the scholarship they received can be used throughout the four years of college. Escarcega was one of the seven students to receive a scholarship.

Escarcega said she felt nervous, and she felt like she was in trouble because she thought they were taking her to the counselors office.

The total amount received was $116,000, which was divided into seven categories for every student.. Some of the students that received a scholarship didn’t know about the occasion until they got to the library. A recruiter from UTEP was also present to hand them there scholarship.  

“At the end of the day, I felt proud of myself because I didn’t think I was getting a scholarship,” Escarcega said.