2 YUHSD students are named finalists for Flinn Scholarship
From nearly 1,050 applicants, the Flinn Foundation has selected 39 students across Arizona as finalists for its scholarship – including Efren Figueroa, a senior from San Luis High School, and Kaylee Woods, a senior from Cibola High School.
“Being chosen as a finalist for the Flinn Scholarship has been such an honor,” Woods said. “It is gratifying to know that my accomplishments are on par with my peers who live in bigger cities and it feels great to have my hard work recognized. Being a finalist is also nerve-racking, knowing the effect that winning the scholarship could have on my future.”
To qualify, applicants for the scholarship must attain at least a 3.5 gradepoint average, rank in the top 5% of their graduating class and participate and demonstrate leadership in a variety of extracurricular activities.
“Kaylee is the type of student I wish I could have more of,” said Loren Simpson, a CHS teacher and student council adviser who has been in the classroom with Woods all four years of high school. “I’ve watched her grow into a tenacious young lady over the past four years. She’s a natural leader in class and in her activities. Kaylee genuinely cares about people and has made it a point to create a place where all students feel welcomed and included. She is actively involved in campus activities, community service, college courses and the Governor’s Youth Commission. There could not be a more deserving finalist for this scholarship.”
As for Figueroa, he’s the first Flinn Scholarship finalist at SLHS in nearly a decade.
“I’m so grateful for this opportunity and I hope I can represent this community,” Figueroa said.
“Efren is a student who stood out from his freshman year,” SLHS counselor Carmen Castañeda said. “He is a natural-born leader and I am excited that this showed in his interview. He is destined for great things and cannot wait to see where life takes him after SLHS.”
The Yuma Union High School District reports it has not had a Flinn Scholarship winner since Cibola’s Edgar Melendrez in 2018.
Flinn Scholarship finalists will interview on March 22 and 23 with a five-person selection committee. From the 39 finalists, 20 students will be named a Flinn Scholar and the Class of 2023 will be announced in April.
Those who are named scholars will be able to attend an Arizona public university and have their cost of tuition, fees, room and board and at least two study-abroad experiences covered. Overall, the merit-based scholarship is valued at $130,000.