Alejandro Zayas Abril, a senior at Heritage Academy Mesa, has been named one of 20 recipients of the highly sought-after Flinn Scholarship, a distinction awarded to high school seniors across Arizona for exceptional academic achievement and leadership.
Zayas Abril is part of the 40th cohort of Flinn Scholars, who will each receive a comprehensive scholarship package valued at more than $135,000 over four years, along with numerous additional benefits.
The Flinn Foundation, in collaboration with Arizona’s three public universities, selects Flinn Scholars based on academic excellence, leadership, and extracurricular involvement. Scholars typically rank in the top 5% of their graduating class. According to Anne Lassen, Vice President of Scholarship and Education Initiatives at the Flinn Foundation, these students demonstrate an impressive ability to navigate complex scientific and global political issues.
“Watching these young adults move seamlessly from explaining complex scientific ideas to unpacking global political challenges leaves no doubt that the future is in capable hands,” Lassen said. “It’s no surprise that the nation’s top universities compete so fiercely to recruit them.”
For the second consecutive year, four high schools produced a Flinn Scholar: Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona College Prep High School in the Chandler Unified School District, BASIS Chandler, and BASIS Flagstaff.
A total of over 1,100 high school seniors competed for the prestigious scholarship, which required submission of academic transcripts, standardized test scores, essays, short-answer responses, and recommendations.
Beyond covering the full cost of a four-year degree, the Flinn Scholarship offers opportunities for two study-abroad sessions, membership in a university honors college, and access to a community of nearly 750 current and former scholars. Recipients also benefit from personalized mentoring by top faculty and exclusive events with leaders in business, government, science, and the arts.
