San Luis High School student becomes school’s first Flinn Scholar

Mae Gomez has become San Luis High School’s first Flinn Scholarship recipient, giving the south-end Yuma County campus a rare academic milestone and a clear model for students who want to compete at the state’s highest level. The San Luis High School senior in the Class of 2026 was one of 20 students selected statewide from more than 1,150 applicants, a result that puts her among Arizona’s most selective scholarship winners.

The Flinn Foundation says the scholarship has been awarded annually since 1986, and the 2026 class is the 41st group of Flinn Scholars. This year’s recipients came from 19 Arizona high schools across five counties: Gila, Maricopa, Navajo, Pima and Yuma. The award package is valued at more than $135,000 over four undergraduate years and covers tuition, fees, housing, meals, study abroad, international travel and mentorship.

For students and counselors in San Luis, the path to that level of recognition is specific and demanding. Flinn’s 2026 application required at least a 3.5 GPA, a ranking in the top 5% of a graduating class, extracurricular leadership and minimum test scores of 26 on the ACT or 1230 on the SAT. The 2027 application is set to open in August 2026, giving current juniors and younger students a concrete timeline to work toward. At San Luis High School, the academic options already in place include Cambridge curriculum-based coursework, dual enrollment for college credit, Advanced Placement classes and career and technical education programs.

That mix of rigor matters in a community where students often have to weigh staying close to home against reaching for statewide and national opportunities. Yuma Union High School District’s counseling director, Cesar Castillo, called the achievement historic and said it shows students from San Luis can compete with the highest-achieving students in Arizona regardless of geography or background. The district also said Gomez is the first student in school history to receive the honor.

Gomez plans to study aerospace engineering at the University of Arizona, a path that adds another layer to the story for families watching from San Luis and the rest of Yuma County. For the school, the scholarship is not only a first, but a signal that the district’s academic pipeline can carry one student into one of Arizona’s most competitive undergraduate opportunities.