Photo courtesy of Dallas ISD.
The University of Texas at Austin recently selected seniors across the state as UT Impact Scholars. One of those selected students is Sunset High School senior Yasmin Tejeda.
UT representatives came to the Sunset High School campus last Monday to present the award to Tejeda with her family in attendance. Only 100 students across the state receive the award, according to a news release from Dallas ISD.
The Impact Scholarship, valued at $48,000, is given to incoming “high-potential students who are making an impact in their local communities,” according to the university website. Tejeda, who plans to study education and psychology at UT in the fall, said that as a first-generation student the scholarship was a great surprise.
“It’s really in a way unbelievable, I guess because it was so unexpected when I got the news and especially hearing about the amount of applicants there were,” she said. “It was just very meaningful. And it kind of made me realize that all of the hard work that I’ve put in throughout these four years, or in my education in general, it really did pay off. I was just very happy in that moment.”
At Sunset, she helped found the campus League of United Latin American Citizens Council, where she serves as a vice president, participates in the Academic Success Program where she currently serves as the secretary and is involved in the academic decathlon.
Some of that hard work has not only included her campus involvement, but her experiences outside of Sunset as well. Tejeda has participated in a slew of internships, currently interning with United to Learn and H.I.P.P.Y. (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters).
“It’s wonderful because I get to actually be a part of an educator experience and observe the teachers and just be prepared for my career because I know that a lot of people may think that they’re going into a certain career, but once they get there, they might not enjoy it,” she said. “And I feel like that was very important to me to make sure that I was dedicated to this, and I would learn the process that way, I can kind of just take any doubts I had about the career that I was going to choose, and it’s just amazing being able to work with the TAs and how sweet they are too. To just appreciate someone else being there and supporting them, especially since it’s like a great passion of mine.”
