Tri-Cities students earn $133K in college scholarships. See the list
The Hispanic Academic Achievers Program awarded $133,000 in scholarships to 32 local high school seniors at its annual award ceremony in Kennewick.
To be eligible for HAAP scholarships, Hispanic seniors must be enrolled in a public or private school in either Connell, Finley, Kennewick, Pasco or Richland, and have a cumulative 3.0 GPA or higher by the end of the first semester of their senior year.
Students are awarded scholarships based on financial need, leadership, civic and extracurricular activities, academic achievement and higher education goals.
The top $12,000 scholarship was awarded to Miranda Garza, a senior at Connell High School. She has a 3.99 GPA and has never earned less than 90% in any of her classes.
2025 HAAP Scholars
Miranda Garza, Connell High School, $12,000 Sue Frost Scholarship. She will attend Grand Canyon University to study elementary education and teach English as a second language.
Ashlee Guadalupe Senda, Chiawana High School, $10,000 Fiesta Foods Scholarship. She will attend University of Washington to study biology. She has plans to work in medicine. She is a Running Start student at Washington State University Tri-Cities.
Yutzil Ortiz, Pasco High School, $10,000 Fiesta Foods Scholarship. They will attend Eastern Washington University to study electrical engineering.
Adrian Chavez, Chiawana High School, $10,000 Central Washington University Scholarship. He will attend CWU to study finance.
Destiny Alizeth Soto, Pasco High School, $8,000 Sue Frost Scholarship. She will study biology at the UW. She is a Running Start student at CBC.
Kimberly Barragán Abarca, Kennewick High School, $5,000 HAPO Credit Union Scholarship. She will study criminology at WSU Pullman.
Jaqueline Guzmán Guzman, Connell High School, $5,000 HAPO Credit Union Scholarship. She will attend the UW to earn a degree in business administration.
Julissa Marie Garcia, Delta High School, $5,000 Tri-Cities Engineering Scholarship. She is a Running Start student at CBC. She will study mechanical engineering at the UW.
Pablo Salas Lua, Connell High School, $4,000 HAAP Scholarship. He will study engineering at the UW.
Lalo Emidio Torres, Chiawana High School, $4,000 HAAP Scholarship. He will attend the UW to study civil engineering. He is a Running Start student at CBC.
Giselle Guzmán Guzman, Kennewick High School, $4,000 State Farm - Edison Valerio Scholarship. She will attend WSU Tri-Cities to study to be a nurse practitioner.
Madison Gonzalez, Hanford High School, $4,000 HAAP Scholarship. She will study at the UW Bothell and plans to work as a physical therapist.
Yamilet Martinez, Kennewick High School, $3,750 Columbia Basin College Scholarship. She is a pre-veterinary student at Tri-Tech Skills Center. She will study agriculture at CBC.
Elisa Franco Cecena, Pasco High School, $3,750 CBC Scholarship. She is a Running Start student at CBC. She will study radiology at CBC.
Ester Lucatero, Chiawana High School, $3,750 CBC Scholarship. She will attend CBC and plans to work as a labor and delivery nurse and OB-GYN. She is a Running Start student at CBC studying pre-nursing.
Suheilly Esquivel, Pasco High School, $3,750 CBC Scholarship. She will study business administration at CBC.
Cory García Méndez, Pasco High School, $3,750 WSU Tri-Cities Scholarship. She will attend WSU Tri-Cities and plans to work as a child life specialist.
Emmanuel Gonzalez Espejo, Pasco High School, $3,750 WSU Tri-Cities Scholarship. He will study digital technology and culture at WSU.
Adalia Rivera, Kamiakin High School, $3,750 WSU Tri-Cities Scholarship. She will study secondary education at WSU.
Danika Ruby Reyna Garcia, Chiawana High School, $3,750 WSU Tri-Cities Scholarship. She will study law at WSU.
Leonardo Bahena, Pasco High School, $3,000 Lenwood Farms Scholarship. He will study psychology at WSU.
Areli Orduno, Kennewick High School, $2,500 HMIS Scholarship. She will study to become an ultrasound technician at Oregon Institute of Technology.
Samantha Melendez, Chiawana High School, $2,500 HMIS Scholarship. She will attend Trinity University and plans to study medicine.
Marisol Bustos, Chiawana High School, $2,500 Gesa Credit Union Scholarship. She will study mechanical engineering at WSU Tri-Cities.
Sofia Yanez, Chiawana High School, $2,500 Community First Bank Scholarship. She will study clinical psychology at Whitworth University.
Andrea Marissa Saenz, Chiawana High School, $2,000 EWU Scholarship. She will study criminal justice at EWU. She is a Running Start student at CBC.
Monique Jade Trevino, Hanford High School, $2,000 Richland Education Association Scholarship. She will pursue a degree in kinesiology and plans to work as a physical therapist.
Maryjose Liberato Rodríguez, Kennewick High School, $1,000 Northwind LLC Scholarship. She will attend Walla Walla Community College to study business.
Leiloni Rivera Lopez, Endeavor High School, $1,000 IDTC-H2C Scholarship. She will attend CBC to study nursing. She is completing a certification program at Tri-Tech Skills Center to become a Certified Nursing Assistant.
Ricardo Guzman Jr., Chiawana High School, $1,000 Battelle/PNNL Scholarship. He will attend CBC to study computer programming.
Karen Santiago López, Connell High School, $1,000 HAAP Scholarship. She will attend WSU Pullman to study biomedical engineering. She plans to earn a medical degree and work as a OB-GYN.
Valeria De La Mora Chávez, Pasco High School, $1,000 HAAP Scholarship. She will attend WSU to study education. She plans to work as an elementary school teacher.
