Axel Cantu

PSJA North Early College High School, Class of 2025

Plans to Attend: University of Texas at Austin,

Major: Mechanical Engineering

Awards/Honors

• Valedictorian
• Varsity Baseball Pitcher of the Year 2023-2024
• Varsity Baseball Captain
• Varsity Track and Field
• AP Scholar 2023
• AP Scholar 2024
• Pharr Rotary Student of the Month
• QuestBridge Finalist
• The Monitor Newspaper Student of the Week
• Student Council Vice President
• National Honor Society Participant
• ELKS Scholarship Quater Finalist
• Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship Semifinalist
• Gates Scholarship Semifinalist
• Interact Club Member
• UIL Mathematics, Number Sense, Calculator Tutor/Participant
• Raiders United Member
• Go Team Member

Tell us your story! What hardships or challenges have you overcome to get to where you are today? How have these experiences motivated you to pursue your educational dreams?

“But why?” I mumbled to myself as I sat at the kitchen table. I was six years old, and my older brother, who was thirteen-years-old at the time, was forced by my mother to help me with my first-grade math homework. As he was unwillingly helping me, I kept asking him how he arrived at a particular answer, but his only reply was, “Just write what I say.” At that very moment, I realized I hated hearing those words; the feeling of just doing what someone told me to do without understanding beforehand made me feel useless. It made me feel like I had no voice or control over my own life. So, whenever my brother demanded me to write what he said, I would always ask him, “But why?” until he was fed up with me and told me to stop being annoying, so I did.

Although this moment may seem insignificant, reflecting on it made me realize that my stubbornness towards my brother, in which I constantly asked him for an explanation, allowed me to develop my curiosity. A trait that followed me throughout my academic career. However, there was an issue with this set curiosity because my shy persona completely contradicted it, never allowing it to fully flourish. Coming from a Spanish-speaking household and entering an English-speaking elementary, my brain would be flooded with questions. I felt like I was always falling behind, for most of my time was spent trying to decode what the teachers and kids around me were saying. Unless I was spoken to, not once would I take it upon myself to ask the numerous questions I had overflowing in my mind. I was thrust into a position of independence more quickly than my peers in school. Since my parents came from Mexico, and had an education from a different country, it was difficult for them to aid me with my academic career. My mother often told me she was learning alongside me, which was always confusing because I was very young, and I had always depended on and seen her as the person who knew the answer to all my problems. This was when I became aware that I would have to face my fear of embarrassment if I wanted to fulfill my abundant curiosity.

My confidence gradually increased as I grew and developed my English-speaking abilities. This was crucial for my brain to start to ask all the questions that had constantly bombarded my brain, and by the end of my middle school years, I maintained an all-A’s grade average and was recognized with various student awards. Entering my first year of high school, the things I would wonder about in my head began to get more complicated to understand and answer. I started taking college courses where my critical thinking was significantly tested; however, with my growing social skills, I was less afraid to ask questions until I understood everything about the set topic. Hearing peers around me say things like “Stop overthinking’ and “It is what it is” never satisfied me. I always wondered more about what I had just learned, and at times, I would even wonder if I was doing enough not to fall behind. Beginning my junior year, the relentless growth of my curiosity and my determination to avoid complacency propelled me towards numerous accomplishments. My selection as a member of the National Honor Society, alongside being honored as the Student Council Vice President, and ultimately becoming the Valedictorian of my class, all stemmed from the curiosity that once made me an annoyance to my brother at our dining table. At last, the feeling of dependency towards my brother that was once felt 2 at the dinner table was gone, and I had been succeeding through my own thoughts and actions.

What, if anything, would you say to your PSJA Family?

To my PSJA family, I want to say thank you. Thank you for always supporting me and having such a fantastic staff that genuinely cares for my success and future.