Taking a deep breath, letting the smile form on her face, Rebecca Macias puts one heel in front of the other, being cloaked in stage light beyond the curtain.

As she places both hands on the edges of the podium, looking at the faces of all her loved ones and mentors, a sense of
accomplishment and excitement washes over her. The microphone is prepped for her next thoughts.

Rebecca Macias, senior class president, student council vice president, and NHS president, celebrates her recent Terry Scholarship award Thursday, May 4,
making history as the first one in the AVID program history to do so.

The Terry Scholarship, founded in 1987, awards over $17 million in scholarships to graduating Texas seniors across the state. According to their website, the organization’s tenants include “scholarship, leadership, and service.”

With over 600 applicants in 2023, the process for admission is rigorous, with potential scholars having to complete an application, gain admission into a one of thirteen Texas schools, and participate in multiple conducted interviews.

Macias is extremely familiar with the stress of this process, highlighting the doubts and anxieties of the application. Though the new scholar was thorough in her approach to the application, she was not shy in discussing the imposter syndrome she faced during the affair.

“Going through the interview and talking to people that have also gotten the scholarship, from looking through the videos of the founder, the majority of the terry scholars do resemble
leadership qualities, the organization is very leadership oriented,” Macias said. “During my final interview, I immediately started bawling my eyes out because I truly didn’t think that this blessing could happen. I didn’t think I did the best I could in my interview.”

These fears were quickly washed away, however, when she was surprised with an email in her inbox last week, with the headline ‘Open Immediately.’

She arrived home that day, and prepared for the news that might change her life forever.

“I saw it at 10 in the morning, but I told myself that I couldn’t open it until I got home, because I knew I was gonna cry no matter what it said in that email,” Macias said. “As soon as I got out of school, I sat in my car, played a little one direction, opened my letter, and I saw the congratulations, and I immediately facetimed my sister. We cried on the phone, and then I went and saw my mom, and we all celebrated together.”

When the news hit campus, friends and faculty alike came to celebrate Macias’ four year journey. AVID coordinator and senior educator Susana Franco, who helped Macias with the application, confirmed the work the student put in and what her accomplished means for the program at large.

“When she told me, I yelled and screamed,” Franco said. “I got up, congratulated her in class, and gave her a hug. Not a lot of students stay organized or commit extra time on their scholarship essays, but she did it and it was worth it, because she’s the first ever Terry scholar that we’ve ever had in the AVID program. For future students, I just want them to know that it’s possible. We do these applications because we know it’s possible for them to get a full ride.”