"Alyssa has always been a great student keeping a 4.0 gpa while playing high school softball for Taft. What makes her awesome is her kindness. I love that she will always go out or her way to see how her teachers are doing. I know it's a simple "How was your day?" but being a teacher myself it's awesome to know your students care about you as well. With year round softball it is difficult for her to commit to a job but she does softball/baseball lessons for children and has found a new love for coaching. She wants to pursue sport management as her major in college to continue what she truly enjoys doing."

"Elijah is such a great kid, he is so passionate about school and the activities he is in. He plays football, baseball, and is on the powerlifting team. Although he is not a standout athlete, what he does to encourage the team around him is amazing. It is never about himself, but about the team. He is also an athletic trainer for the school in which he would like to pursue a degree in, he is really interested in doing something with sport’s medicine. He is also a part of the National Honor Society, and volunteers with whatever he can at school. Other than school activities, outside of school Elijah is a great kid with a big heart always wanting to help out where he can. He has also helped coach a peewee football team during the week that he doesn’t have anybody of interest on the team. There are so many things that makes Elijah amazing and these are just some of the things that are off the top of my head."

"Layla is a hard working student athlete who has always put her academics first. With a busy schedule, she has learned to manage her time and maintain discipline to complete her workouts, travel softball, and homework without making excuses. She is interested in attending college to pursue a career in nursing."

"Arturo is always interested in helping others and shows tremendous leadership and interest in the success of our orchestra program. He is our current Orchestra President and has held an officer position for the last several years. I would highly recommend Arturo, he has the maturity of an accomplished adult and is just a great young man. I have had many wonderful students in my years of teaching and Arturo is certainly one of the most extraordinary."

"Austin is a servant leader who serves others with all his heart. He is a silent champion who has overcome adversity at home and in football and has never sought recognition or allowed the lack of it to keep him from working hard and overcoming. He has defied the odds and conquered the giants not allowing anything to stand in his way of overcoming."

"My daughter Mia Saenz is an amazing young lady and I am so proud of everything she has overcome and accomplished. Having survived a traumatic school shooting while in middle school, she has shown great perseverance in everything she does. She is a student athlete and athletic trainer for various sports. She is a leader on the soccer field and strives to encourage her teammates to always stay positive. Mia also enjoys mentoring middle school students who are wanting to play soccer in high school, she visits the feeder elementary schools to share information about the STEM program, and she volunteers at the food band. I am so excited to see all the amazing things she is going to do in the future!"

"Ella, a 7-year Gold Presidents Service Award recipient, commits over 125 hours annually to five San Antonio service organizations. As the District 4 Youth Commissioner, she passionately advocates for youth mental health, authoring the city's first Teen Mental Health Survey. Ella's advocacy extends to securing funding, supporting schools, and engaging state senators. Alongside her academic achievements—graduating cum laude from San Antonio College and with high honors from Travis Early College High School—Ella leads as President of Gamma Sigma Girl Scouts, Chair of Model UN, Secretary of the National Honor Society, and member of the Hispanic Honor Society. Her remarkable dedication to service and education makes her truly awesome."

"Hannah has played Volleyball for 7 years and is a straight A student. She struggled her first 2 years in high school during Covid, distance learning was extremely challenging. She persisted and came back stronger than ever. She never quite felt like she belonged at her school which is not very racially diverse. Hannah is biracial and made the decision to go to an HBCU. She has been a leader on and off the court, and an inspiration to many who know her. She has a great work ethic and I couldn’t be more proud of her!"

"Braiden is a driven, dedicated student and also a compassionate community member with hundreds of volunteer hours completed. She never quits. Braiden exemplifies hard work and good character. She is college bound and a great investment! We treasure Braiden and are blessed to have such a special daughter."

“She puts others before herself and is willing to teach others the skills she has learned. She is always willing to stand up for the vulnerable.”

"Ruby is a prime example of what it means to be exemplary scholar student athlete. She has maintained all A's though her four years of high school, while balancing AP course work and Varsity Basketball. With a GPA of 105.5 she will be attending The University of the Incarnate Word in the Fall. She will major in Nursing and soon become a traveling nurse. Outside of school day, Ruby has held a full-time position at our local Chipotle, to save money for college expenses. With rising cost of secondary education, Ruby will continue to work full-time, while managing being a full-time student, and possibly pursue an opportunity with the university's women's basketball team. We couldn't be more excited to honor an incredible young lady for her leadership, hard work and dedication. We wish her all the best!"

"Congratulations, Marcy Morales, on your acceptance to Texas A&M University-San Antonio! Marcy was also accepted to Texas A&M University, Texas State University, Texas Tech University, Lamar University and UTSA."

"Haley is a hard working, smart, passionate young lady. She is the first of her family to be accepted to major university. She will attend McMurry University in Abilene, Texas. She has worked hard all her school years to make her dream come true. She is definitely a role model."

"Mace is such a dedicated student who has always put his studies first. He’s been a teacher at heart making sure that all of his classmates are successful by offering help in class or tutoring after school. He’s super kind, very respectful and despite any life challenges, he’s been able to flourish."

“Benny is the most selfless person I know. He is always putting myself (mom) his sick grandpa or little brother first before himself every single day. Just an example of how awesome Benny is…. I got him a 2015 dodge ram truck for his 16th birthday last year. It was his dream truck—ever since he was little he always talked about having a “diesel Dodge truck” when he was “big”. Well that’s what I got him…until I was diagnosed with cancer in February 2022 right as I was about put an offer on my dream home down the street from my parents house. I needed radiation and so there went all my $20k for my down payment on my house. Benny took it upon himself and sold his truck for $17k and gave it to me so we could buy our home. This kid has the biggest heart and would take the shirt off his back for anyone he knows or anyone that ever needed his help. He then worked all summer long in the heat doing demolition work to buy another truck —$9k cash all by himself. That’s how awesome Benny is.”

"Maricela is a student-athlete who was able to balance both her studies and sport well enough to be inducted into the National Honor Society with a 3.8 GPA. She overcame many obstacles in life to include losing her older brother to suicide in July of 2021 and her grandfather to a heart attack in September of 2022 that could had set her back in school but she overcame and found strength to move forward."

"Andrea always goes above and beyond in anything she does. As a member of the Academic Decathlon, she has helped her team reach the state level. She has a love for learning and plans to continue her education at the University of North Texas. She will pursue her degree in the medical field. Andrea has left her mark at Howsman, Stevenson, and Marshall due to her leadership, academic, and artistic skills. She would be honored to receive this scholarship."

“I am so incredibly proud of my daughter for so many reasons. She is a phenomenal big sister that leads by example and is always willing to help her sister with anything. As a single mom she has helped me and continues to help me with various errands such as grocery shopping, picking up and dropping off her sister from school, and ensuring the house is clean so it is one less thing I have to worry about after working long hours, as well as many other things for her grandmother. She is a phenomenal student athlete who excels and leads in the classroom and on the volleyball court. Finally her heart to serve others is special as she volunteers at the food bank, has been the speaker at benefits to help raise money for Camp Discovery, a program that is near and dear to her, and finally having had the chance to volunteer at Give Kids the World Village (Make-a-Wish) in Kissimmee, FL.What a joy it has been to watch her blossom into the person she is today and I can only imagine what the future has in store for her."

“He always goes above and beyond for others. He always treats everyone with respect and will always hold a door open. He performs in the classroom and on the football field. With a heart of gold, he leads from within the pack and never gives up. His perseverance and work ethic is unmatched. Just the best kid to have. He is a true old soul who loves to make others smile.”