Thursday, May 9, Mission High School graduates celebrated a night of academic success at the Mission Scholarship Awards.
Outstanding seniors Daniela Escojido and Diego Chapa pose with their eagle awards at the Mission Eagle Theatre. Photo courtesy of MCISD.
The Mission Eagle Theatre filled proud parents, community members, staff, and educators in one place to show support to the class of 2024.
Out of the dozens of scholarship recipients, two seniors stood out to the institution: Daniela Escojido and Diego Chapa.
Escojido, the valedictorian of her class, was recognized as the Outstanding Senior Girl of her class, with her scholarship and Valedictorian title not being the only award she got.
“It’s quite emotional actually, being a first-generation student,” said Escojido, wiping tears from the corner of her eyes. “It really shows that hard work pays off.”
The senior is the first college attendee in her family and had a difficult journey in finding herself since elementary. But until her middle school years, Escojido discovered her passion through programs and different organizations.
In a moment of appreciation, Escojido thanked those who helped support her academic achievements.
“There’s so much help around me, from the teachers to the staff and even my friends…and my family too. My number one supporters,” said Escojido. “Now that I’m taking this next step, I wouldn’t do it without them.”
What kept Escojido fighting to keep her rank was being a role model for the next generation of graduates in her family, her cousins.
“I just want to show them a good example [and] that anything is possible,” she said. “Even if you are from a low-income family, it could be possible to obtain a degree later on.”
The scholarship, given to the senior by the Mission CISD Education Foundation, will help with tuition costs at her school of choice, Texas A&M, where she will major in Construction Science.
“They continue our education and continue to support us by funding us with scholarship money, and that’s what I’m planning to hope to use it towards,” Escojido said. “[It’s] knowing that there are people out there who believe in me, and who will continue to encourage me.”
The achievement of Outstanding Senior Boy and scholarship awarding was a first-time experience for Diego Chapa.
“I never received anything when I was younger because I kinda slacked off…but I picked it up,” Chapa said proudly.
The senior received two scholarships that evening — $1k from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley for being part of the top ten percent of his class and $1K from the marching band.
“I’ve been a part of the band forever, and it feels like it’s been a part of my life,” said Chapa, who plays alto saxophone with Mission Varsity Ensemble and Mission Marching Band, was shocked at the title of the Outstanding Senior Boy for 2024.
The senior said he worked hard and feels accomplished to acquire recognition for his passion for the band and his upkeep of academics, especially during a rough start for high school.
After COVID-19, Chapa faced difficulty in adapting to his freshman year, feeling as though his sophomore year was his first time experiencing high school instead of the isolated feeling of online learning.
“Starting on my sophomore year, basically, I was a freshman with everybody else,” he said. “And making sure I was paying attention in class, staying with my teachers, and kind of having fun with my friends.”
But as high school continued Chapa found classes and curriculum to be tough.
“I knew I had to work harder for everything, even if I was going to get rough patches,” he said. “But luckily I have my family here with me who is here to support me.”
Chapa will be attending the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley as a biology major and hopes to attend the UTRGV School of Medicine.
“I’ll focus my life on med school and after med school, hopefully, I find a job in internal medicine or family medicine,” he said.
MHS Principal Jose Mejia II said a night like this is a big deal, especially for the parents and grandparents.
“Parents have waited years to see this and it’s just a testament of our student’s hard work, especially our top, top students,” said Mejia, emphasizing sacrifices made to achieve academic greatness. “They put in endless hours of studying, missing events because [of] staying up late, and working hard, taking college courses to get that GPA high.”
Mejia said that despite the scholarship award ceremony being a tradition, it is something he and the district look forward to celebrating each year.
“We had a lot of parents show up, a lot kids that were here,” said Mejia. “This is a big celebration for our students here at Mission High School, so it’s very special to me and I’m so lucky to be a part of it.”
