{"id":10861,"date":"2026-07-16T22:41:56","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T22:41:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/?p=10861"},"modified":"2026-07-16T23:01:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T23:01:10","slug":"mesa-student-awarded-full-ride-scholarship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/news\/mesa-student-awarded-full-ride-scholarship\/","title":{"rendered":"Mesa student awarded full ride scholarship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Northern Arizona University Foundation, in partnership with Univision Arizona, announces that first-generation student Itzel Perez Lillos, \u201930, from Mesa, Arizona\u2019s Dobson High School, is the second recipient of the \u201cTu Futuro\u201d (\u201cYour Future\u201d) scholarship program. Launched in 2024, the \u201cTu Futuro\u201d scholarship program is part of Univision Arizona\u2019s Contigo community empowerment initiative, covering the total cost of tuition and lodging for an undergraduate student at NAU for four years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a reception at Univision Arizona studios on May 11, 2026, Perez Lillos was announced as the scholarship awardee after being selected as a finalist based on an interview and a 250-word essay describing the impact a college degree would have on her future and local community. Nearly 500 students applied for the \u201cTu Futuro\u201d scholarship\u2014an increase of 100 applicants from 2025\u2014and 23 were selected as finalists from a review committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A standout essay<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Perez Lillos\u2019 essay stood out from fellow applicants because of her passion for breaking barriers for her family and giving a voice to those often left unheard. She shared that she has had to translate for her parents, and that experience has shaped her into someone who is resilient, independent, and ready to advocate for others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enrolled in NAU\u2019s College of Health and Human Services, she plans to study dental hygiene and has already completed over 100 internship hours in dental offices in Phoenix. It was during her time in the dental assistant program that she became passionate about healthcare and eager to pursue it as a career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cThe Tu Futuro scholarship means I can chase my dreams at NAU without the heavy burden of debt holding me back,\u201d said Perez Lillos. \u201cIt\u2019s a chance to make my family proud and prove that my hard work and Hispanic heritage are powerful assets for my future. This support isn\u2019t just about the money, but it\u2019s a door opening to a career where I can lead and give back to my community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating a cohort<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The reception, which included attendees from Univision Arizona and NAU, celebrated Perez Lillos and past scholarship recipient Dayana Amaya, \u201929<\/a>, reinforcing a collaborative partnership between both organizations and their commitment to student success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTelevisaUnivision is dedicated to education and deeply invested in the success of students,\u201d said Mark Masepohl, senior vice president of content strategy and operations. \u201cEducation serves as the foundation for future progress, acting as a catalyst for community resilience and individual empowerment. We take pride in our partnership with Northern Arizona University and extend our congratulations to this year\u2019s recipient for her commitment to pursuing higher education through the Univision Contigo \u2018Tu Futuro\u2019 scholarship.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more stories of impact from donors like Univision Arizona at elevate.foundationnau.org<\/a>. To learn more about Univision Arizona, visit UnivisionArizona.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Itzel<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Northern Arizona University Foundation, in partnership with Univision Arizona, announces that first-generation student Itzel Perez Lillos, \u201930, from Mesa, Arizona\u2019s Dobson High School, is the second recipient of the \u201cTu Futuro\u201d (\u201cYour Future\u201d) scholarship program. Launched in 2024, the \u201cTu Futuro\u201d scholarship program is part of Univision Arizona\u2019s Contigo community empowerment initiative, covering the total […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3006,"featured_media":10862,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[22,63],"class_list":["post-10861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-chhs","tag-dental-hygiene"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3006"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10861"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10861\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10864,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10861\/revisions\/10864"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}