A Phoenix student has set a new mark for his school district, with 49 college acceptances and $5 million in scholarships.
Phoenix Union High School District said Phoenix Coding Academy senior Joseph Parra Miguel earned the largest scholarship total for one student in district schools.
Joseph told ABC15 it was a long road to reach that point, and said he is proud of what he has done.
“I never believed I was going to hit that mile goal, but I managed to do it,” he said.
His school counselor, Kaity Zaiser, told ABC15 that Joseph’s $5 million in scholarships made up half of everything his senior class earned at his school this year.
“I am so incredibly proud of Joseph. His grit, his determination, his drive, it is admirable,” Zaiser said. “I hope many students can see that and see that encouragement to shoot for the stars.”
Joseph told ABC15 he did it for more than himself, and pointed to his teachers, friends and his immigrant family.
In addition to being Hispanic, Joseph said he recently found out about his Indigenous roots. He said that when he went to his parents’ hometown, he figured out who he was and where he came from.
“My parents came from nothing, and they came here just to support themselves and support the family and other things,” he said. “That’s what inspired me a majority of the time. I kept going because I wanted to show them that it’s okay to keep going.”
Zaiser said Joseph’s scholarship offers came from the colleges that accepted him. She said he applied to most schools through Niche or Common App, which send out mass applications to colleges.
Because Phoenix Coding Academy is a Title I school, Zaiser said he did not have to pay application fees.
“It creates an accessibility for our students, especially Title I students who may not be able to afford all those application fees,” she said.
Joseph has chosen Arizona State University. He plans to attend the business school with an emphasis in language and culture, saying he wants to diversify himself more and “help bridge cultures together.”
“I just wanted to stay close to family because it’s a big thing for me. I think connection with my family is the most important thing to me, and my friends,” he said.
He also had advice for other students.
“It’s okay to feel lost at a point of time. I felt lost some time, but I figured it out. It’s okay to not know what major you wanted to do. It took me a while to find the major I wanted to do.”
“I do hope that someday, someone else breaks my record here in the district,” he said.
Read more from ABC15.
