San Marcos Student Receives $40,000 Edison Scholarship

San Marcos High senior Alexis Villa-Tavera was surprised in class on Thursday by a $40,000 scholarship awarded by Southern California Edison. (April 14, 2016).

Good grades? Check. Confident, hardworking, and independent? Check. Active leader and volunteer in youth and minority projects? Check. Winner of a $40,000 check? Check.

On April 14, San Marcos High School’s Alexis Villa-Tavera was one of 30 high school seniors statewide to score a piece of energy giant Southern California Edison’s $1.2 million Edison Scholars Program pie, paid out annually to high-achieving students with higher-education goals in science, technology, engineering, and math, and who have also demonstrated financial need.

“I walked into my class and I saw cameras everywhere, and I wasn’t sure what was going on,” said Villa-Tavera about the surprise announcement. “And they announced my name that I had won. It was fantastic, just a great feeling.”

Villa-Tavera has been a standout in San Marco’s Accelerated Academic Program for Leadership and Enrichment Academy [AAPLE] Academy. She’s planning to study engineering at UC Santa Cruz.