Scholars of st. joseph academy

My name is Andrea Emilene Jasso and I am a rising senior at St. Joseph Academy. I am passionate about bringing a smile to anybody around me and serving others. In the near future I hope to become a Pediatrician. My faith plays a major role in my life and at St. Joe I like to stay active in many clubs such as Marist Youth and Rotary Interact. An activity that I enjoy doing is “sky watching” to reflect on the blessings in my life.

My name is Julio Cesar Silguero. I was born in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico and I have lived there for most of my life. I am a rising 11th grader at St. Joseph Academy, and some of the things I enjoy doing are running on the Track team, taking science and math classes, and helping my friends and my community. When I go to college, I want to study Aerospace Engineering and Computer Science. I want to build rockets and work in big space exploration companies that can improve human life and guarantee a more prosperous future for humanity.

My name is Cynthia Gonzales, and I will be a rising senior at Saint Joseph Academy. I am a member of numerous organizations such as Positive Peer Leadership Team, the TX Say What! Program, and South Texas Cotillion. These groups have empowered me to advocate against drug and alcohol use among the youth and assist underserved communities through various activities. I wish to pursue a degree in dentistry and become a leader in that field. But most importantly, I wish to always be of service to my community and a role model to the generations to come.

Paco Villazon is a soccer enthusiast passionate about mitigating the uncertainty in our everyday lives. Although he was born in Dallas, Paco spent seven years in Shanghai, China, living and learning in one of the world’s most exciting cities. Paco returned to Dallas in 2016 and enrolled at the same school he had left years earlier -- Alcuin School. At Alcuin, Paco furthered his Spanish & Chinese language skills, and developed an affinity for the complex world of STEM. He currently serves as the President of the Investment Club, Coach of the Middle School Math Olympiad Team, and School Ambasador. Paco plays both club and varsity soccer, and led the Alcuin soccer team to the regional championship in the first year of the program. Paco is excited to be selected as a De Leon Scholar and plans to explore his passions by studying Financial Engineering or Quantitative Economics in the fall of 2023. 

Maliha Sharma is an advocacy-driven, artistic and inquiring student at the Alcuin School. As the founder of her own podcast, president of her school UNICEF USA global advocacy chapter, and former student researcher for Stanford’s Center for Deliberative Democracy and the CloseUp Foundation, Maliha is passionate about making effective social change in the world. Additionally, she works as co-editor-in-chief of her school’s newspaper and secretary of her school’s debate club. In her free time, she enjoys doing martial arts, selling her artwork, biking, and traveling the world. In college, she plans on double majoring in international relations and philosophy with an end goal to work in international cyber security law to battle policies and investigate technology to specifically help women around the world who have experienced discrimination and violence.

Stanley is a calm, creative, and empathy-driven student currently enjoying his 6th year at Alcuin School. He enrolled at Alcuin in the 7th grade and has since thrived under their freedom to explore and his own ambition to accomplish great things in the world of storytelling. Today, he engages with his community by serving as a two-sport varsity athlete and the lead student coordinator for four of Alcuin’s student-led organizations: Film Club, Alcuin School Equity and Inclusion Committee, Drumline, and of course the school’s band Amplify. He also makes time for his own work as a filmmaker, which has earned him recognition from numerous festivals— All American High School Film Festival and SXSW just to name a few. And on top of it all, Stanley makes time for his family, friends, and a good TV binge-watching session on the weekends. Going forward, Stanley plans to begin his college journey by double majoring in film production and finance, two fields that will one day help him become an impactful, wide-reaching filmmaker.