By MIKAYLA ORTEGA
The New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA) has announced its recipients for the prestigious “Together we Rise” scholarship, rewarding 65 scholarships to students across the state.
Questa senior and multi-sport athlete Aliyah Santistevan, daughter of Santana and Donny Santistevan, was chosen as an at-large scholarship recipient. Santistevan is an impressive student and athlete, currently ranking third in the Questa class of 2025. While juggling multiple sports, she maintains a GPA of 4.0. Santistevan has been a continuous member of the Honor Society since she was in seventh grade.
Santistevan has participated in the volleyball and basketball programs, both of which went to state three times during her career. She has also participated in cheer, soccer, baseball, and track. Additionally, she took on eSports this year.
In addition to her many impressive feats, Santistevan is also enrolled at UNM-Taos and has earned over 30 credit hours. She has also earned her MC3 Certificate (a credential offering 120 hours of multi-craft construction courses designed to prepare individuals for skilled building trades apprenticeships) and First Aid Mental Health certification.
In 2020, her eighth grade year, she recounts that volleyball and soccer were unavailable due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Football was the only sport that was available, so I took a leap of faith and joined. I have always loved football, so it really wasn’t that far off. I was an 8th-grade girl playing varsity football. While I loved the sport, that was my only year in football,” she says. Santistevan has been named All-District in baseball and basketball and earned numerous All Tourney awards in basketball.
With her limited spare time, Santistevan has participated in Mariachi, playing the violin. She has donated 80 hours of community service to the community and is a proud founding member of the Lil’ Food Pantry, where she works with the North Central Food Pantry to mobilize micro-donation sites across the community.
NMAA Foundation scholarships are awarded to students from NMAA member schools that have been chosen for each individual award for exemplifying the dedication, scholastic achievement, and sportsmanship ideals promoted by the NMAA Foundation Association.
Every year, the Association receives upward of 300 applications from student athletes across New Mexico for these prestigious scholarships and only 65 scholarships were awarded.
