Local YUHSD seniors receive scholarships

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - Yuma Union High School District (YUHSD) seniors received an unforgettable surprise this week as several students were awarded scholarships worth up to $60,000 through the Helios Education Foundation.

Among the students surprised was Valeria Gutierrez, a senior at San Luis High School, who said the moment was overwhelming.

"I feel like it is not hitting me right now because it just happened," Gutierrez said. "But I did not expect it at all. I really didn't."

The scholarships are part of a long-standing partnership between the Helios Education Foundation and YUHSD, which district leaders say has changed the lives of countless students over the past decade.

"Ten years of the scholarship ultimately results in about three and a half million dollars of investment in Yuma County students," said Eric Patten with YUHSD. "We couldn't be more grateful or pleased to work with Helios and see the impact they've made on our students."

District officials said 89 students applied for the scholarship this year through the Arizona Community Foundation.

Applications opened in January, and after the review process, one student is selected from each campus.

Each scholarship can cover full tuition at Arizona's in-state universities, including Northern Arizona University, Arizona State University, and University of Arizona. Students attending out-of-state schools can receive up to $15,000 annually toward tuition.

"This really opens doors for lots of students to possibilities they may not have thought were there," Patten said.

Patten said many students in previous years believed college was financially out of reach before receiving the scholarship.

"I've encountered plenty of students in past years who said they were intending on going to a two-year school or not going to school because their family couldn't afford it," Patten said. "This scholarship opens the door to cover full tuition for in-state schools."

So far, students at three of the district's six high schools have received their scholarship surprises, while announcements for students at Kofa High School, Cibola High School, and Vista High School are still to come.