On this inspiring episode of Somos Sunnyside, we sit down with two outstanding seniors from Desert View High School, Anysa Medrano and Josue Bajo Quijada, to discuss their incredible academic journeys and life-changing scholarship opportunities. Anysa shares what it means to be selected as a prestigious Gates Millennium Scholar, one of only 750 students nationwide chosen from more than 61,000 applicants, while also earning acceptance to Princeton University. Josue reflects on being named a Dorrance Scholarship recipient, earning more than $100,000 in scholarship support along with opportunities for study abroad, leadership development, and innovation programs.

Throughout the conversation, both students open up about their similar upbringings, being raised by their mothers with the support of their grandparents, and how those experiences shaped their motivation to succeed academically. They share how, from a young age, they were determined to pursue higher education in a way that would ease the financial burden on their families while creating new opportunities for their futures. Their stories are powerful examples of perseverance, resilience, gratitude, and what it truly means to be college, career, and community ready.