LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Jennifer and Marcelino Aguirre are Texas Tech graduates who moved back to Lubbock from Arkansas in 2014 to raise their family.
Jennifer describes her son Joseph, a senior at Lubbock Cooper High School, as someone who’s always been determined.
“Joseph, he’s very headstrong,” Jennifer said. “He decided he wanted to make an impact and so when he started high school, he didn’t want to just be in the background, he wanted to stand out.”
And Joseph has done just that. Not only has he played varsity tennis for the past four years, but he’s also the president of both the school’s Spanish club and National Honor Society.
“There’s no certain formula for having a lot on your plate,” Joseph said. “I feel like in order to get through everything, you have to have a strong work ethic and drive.”
Joseph attributes that work ethic and drive to his parents.
“I have seen all that work and how much effort they’ve put into me,” Joseph said, “so my entire life, I’ve just wanted to replicate that and put as much work and effort into them as they have put into me.”
That hard work paid off earlier this month, when Joseph received an impact scholarship worth $48,000 from the University of Texas, enough money to pay for his classes for the next four years.
This honor is only given to 60 students per year and is awarded to those who are making an impact on their schools and local communities. Jennifer says it was great to see her son be surprised by the people at school that have also made an impact on his life.
“He’s our son and we raised him and loved him, but Joseph is a book with many chapters and those are all the people that have written some of those chapters,” Jennifer said. “It was so emotional for me.”
Marcelino says he’s proud of his son for going out there and making a difference on his own.
“For me to see him excel, it just brings a lot of joy knowing that he’s the one that actually did this, and it wasn’t given to him,” Marcelino said. “He’s the one that actually went out there and sought it out.”
Joseph is set to attend UT in the fall to major in Kinesiology and Exercise Science, with the plan to head to physical therapy school right after. He plans on making his impact on Austin while he’s there, but says he’s grateful for the chance to serve the Lubbock community while he’s lived here.
“It’s very rewarding,” Joseph said. “It’s such a good feeling because I feel like the Lubbock community has put a lot of support into me and so to be able to harvest change and impact into the community, it’s just amazing, it really is.”
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