Yuma High student named Hamilton Scholar
Andrea Luna Cervantes among 35 recipients
Yuma High School junior Andrea Luna Cervantes has been named one of 35 Alexander Hamilton Scholars for 2017.
The Hamilton Award recognizes young people for their academic, personal, service and entrepreneurial accomplishments, according to a news release from the organization, which is in its 13th year of awarding the honor. Its goal is to provide its scholars with “mentorship and support through life’s transitions so that they, in turn, can make great contributions to our nation and our world,” the organization said on its website.
Luna, who will be a senior in the coming fall school year, was chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the five-year leadership program, the release said. The entire program is offered at no cost to scholars.
Scholars attend leadership conferences called “Leader Weeks” during each summer of the program. There, they get one-on-one advice from academic and financial aid advisers and more. Year one focuses on college readiness; year two helps scholars transition to college; in year three, scholars attend an international conference to carry out leadership and service commitments; year four gives scholars advice on career readiness; and the fifth-year workshop week is about transitioning into a career.
“(Luna) is continually inspired by her parents’ words, ‘Haz mejor que nosotros’ or ‘Do better than us,’” according to her biography on the Hamilton Scholars website.
Luna has been the president of Yuma High’s chapter of the National Honor Society, secretary of academic decathlon and student council, treasurer of the Interact Club, and a member of the junior varsity tennis team. She is also the vice president of Yuma High’s Junior States of America. She recently won Best Moderator at a JSA convention of nearly 300 other students. Luna also participated in Yuma Youth Leadership, a selective program that teaches juniors about their town and provides them with the opportunity to host annual Youth Town Hall meetings.
“Our goal is to identify young people who have set high standards for citizenship and success in their lives. We are very excited about Andrea’s potential for future greatness. The Yuma community is lucky to have Andrea as a resident,” said George T. Cox, Hamilton Scholars founder and senior director of Alexander Hamilton Scholars.
Luna plans to be a forensic anthropologist, according to her Hamilton biography.