2026 Scholarship Winners Are Announced!
Sophia Lopez
Rio Grande High School
$10,000
Alex Starr
Bosque School
$10,000
Chloe Brown
Sandia High School
$5,000
Anna Hastings
Albuquerque Academy
$5,000
Sophia Lopez will play college basketball in the fall after a standout academic and athletic career at Rio Grande High School. She was the Ravens’ basketball team captain all four years, district player of the year, first team all-district, team MVP, leading scorer and rebounder, and made the district all-academic team every year.
Sophia also played varsity volleyball and tennis all four years at Rio Grande and says she cannot pick a favorite sport, as she enjoyed them all. Along the way, she earned a cumulative 4.0 GPA.
Sophia was a member of the student senate, worked on the yearbook, participated in monthly food distributions for the needy, as well as toy, clothing and food drives with the student senate. She also was a peer helper on a suicide prevention campaign at Rio Grande, providing resources to create suicide awareness.
“Some of the main things my family taught us that I still carry with me are work hard, be respectful, stay curious, be compassionate and get a good education,” she said. She is spending time this summer with friends and family while working out in preparation for college ball.
Sophia has committed to play basketball at Ottawa University Arizona, where she will pursue a degree in psychology to be able to help others and give back to the community.
Alex Starr introduced himself to the scholarship committee in the three languages he speaks—English, Spanish and Polish.
He was the captain of the basketball and mountain biking teams at Bosque School and also played on the volleyball and golf teams, while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.
Alex won the Bosque Bobcat award twice, was named MVP for the mountain biking team, was on the all-state academic team for volleyball, and played on the district champion basketball team.
Alex says he most values the camaraderie and friendships he has made through sports.
“My teammates know I will support them in whatever situations on and off the court,” he says. “These are lessons I will take with me for the rest of my life.”
Alex was a member of the Judicial Committee focusing on advocating for a safer community and handling disciplinary matters. He also volunteered at Saranam for families experiencing homelessness, and was a member of the Black Student Union and Spanish Model UN.
Alex will pursue an undergraduate degree in international relations at Tufts University, where he also will play sports at the intramural or club level.
Some might say Chloe Brown was destined to play basketball. After winning back-to-back state championships at Sandia High School, it seems to have worked out. Chloe plans to major in chemistry or biology at McPherson college toward a job in anesthesiology. She also is committed to play basketball at McPherson.
Chloe’s grandfather Mike “Papa” Brown coached teams to six consecutive state titles and was inducted into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame. Her father Danny is the head coach of the highly successful Sandia High boys basketball team, and her uncle Greg has coached seven state championship teams, including a record five consecutive state titles at Volcano Vista High School.
Chloe admits that the family history and pressure to succeed did not make things easier, and she had to work to manage her expectations.
“I realize I can’t control every outcome of a game, but I can control how hard I work,” she says. “I learned our emotional states are contagious. By staying positive and focused, I can help those around me achieve incredible things.”
Chloe will graduate with a cumulative 4.3 GPA. She also participated in soccer and track at Sandia and has received all-tournament honors, first team basketball, all academic honors and was on the district champion Matadors team for three years, in addition to two state championships.
Chloe has worked basketball camps for children, volunteered at Pumpkin Patch, and is active in her family’s fund-raising work to battle multiple system atrophy, a disease that took the life of her grandfather.
Anna Hastings is a state champion runner and academic standout. She has committed to run cross country and track at Brown University in the fall.
At the Albuquerque Academy, Anna was team captain of the cross country and track teams. In cross country, she was an individual state champion and a member of two state championship teams. Her teammates selected her for the Team Award two consecutive years. On the Chargers track team, she won state titles in the 3200, 1600 and, this year, the 800 meters.
Anna says her favorite thing about running is the relationships she formed with teammates and getting to support them.
“While each season and race has its ups and downs, being able to share those experiences with my teammates made even the difficult parts worth it,” she says.
Outside of sports, Anna was a director of Effects, a nonprofit aimed at spreading science education to underfunded elementary schools in Albuquerque, wrote for the school newspaper, and was a class officer. She participated in Community Service Honor Society, performing hours of community service work each year, was a math tutor, was a counselor at the Field Institute of Taos, tutored local refugees in Albuquerque on math and reading, and participated in the Feminism Club.
