Española Valley High School Valedictorian JP (Joseph Paul) Sena, was awarded the 2018 New Mexico School Board Scholarship Award in recognition of outstanding and demonstrated leadership, academic performance, community involvement and participation in extracurricular activities.
Mesa Vista School Board President and Region two President of the New Mexico School Board Association, Marvyn Jaramillo, is a part of the selection committee for the scholarship.
“We give three scholarships within our district,” Jaramillo said. “There are 12 districts within our region to select students from, we awarded the scholarship to Sena, a student from Pojoaque and a student from Los Alamos.”
The selection process for the scholarship is rigorous and the criteria for being awarded the scholarship are extensive.
“There are a lot of things we have to look at, like academic achievement and community service,” Jaramillo said. “All applicants that submitted for the scholarships were all excellent applicants. I wish we could have given every one of them a $1,000 scholarship.”
Sena was a star basketball player, a committed student and engaged in the Española community and was an example to Española Valley High School students according to Española Public Schools’ Superintendent Bobbie Gutierrez.
“I played varsity basketball since my freshman year, I was All-District Academic all four years and made the All-District team my last two years,” Sena said. “I have also been a member of the National Honor Society since my sophomore year and I was the secretary and school service chairman of National Honor Society my senior year.”
Aside from his academic and athletic achievements, Sena was also very committed to his civic endeavors.
“During my time with National Honor Society I participated in many forms of community service,” Sena said. “Including donating food to homeless shelters and making holiday baskets for lower income families.”
Sena also spends his time as a volunteer at his church in Abiquiu, and has volunteered his time at soup kitchens with his traveling basketball team. Española Board President Ruben Archuleta presented Sena with the award at a regular Board meeting on July 25.
“JP is a wonderful kid,” Archuleta said. “It’s rare to see someone excel in both the classroom and be a star athlete. He represents his school and Española, and we are very proud to have him as our own. We will always cheer for him.”
Sena is spending his final months before beginning college at New Mexico State University, where he will be pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering, participating in a student research project with Los Alamos National Laboratory.