On Nov. 12, four Americas High School student-athletes proudly celebrated a major milestone by signing their letters of intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at colleges and universities across Texas. The student-athletes included:
Bianca Alarcon, a winger and midfielder on the soccer team, signed her letter of intent with Paul Quinn College, where she plans to study kinesiology. Alarcon is on the A/B honor roll and played in the UIL soccer playoffs during her junior and senior years.
“It feels amazing. I feel relief, and I feel accomplished in what I do,” Alarcon said. “My dad pushed me, and my mom took me to every practice and games, and they helped me a lot to get here.”
Mandalyn Granillo, a goalie, signed her letter of intent with Paul Quinn College in Dallas, where she plans to study psychology. Granillo's achievements include being named to the 2-5A All-District Second Team and played on the championship team for the first Region 19 Female Flag Football league. She is enrolled in the school’s Libertas Academy and is on the A honor roll.
“It feels great. I started playing three years ago, so all of this is very new to me. I got a full ride, so I get to play another four years, and on top of that, in a city that I love. It’s just amazing. I’m very excited.” Granillo said.
Lea Guevara, an outfielder on the softball team, signed her letter of intent with El Paso Community College, where she plans to study sonography. Guevara's achievements include being named to the 2-5A All-District Second Team and receiving the 2-5A All-District Honorable Mention. She is also a member of the 2024-25 UIL 2-5A Bi-District Softball Championship team.
“It’s super exciting. I’m glad I got the opportunity to play softball at EPCC because I know not many people are able to get to this point,” Guevara said. “I really like the coaches there, and I have a lot of teammates that I used to play with there, and they have what I want to study.”
Zoe O’Hara, a pitcher and hitter, signed her letter of intent with Midland College, where she plans to study radiology. O’Hara was named to the El Paso Times 2025 softball All-City team and was also a member of the 2024-25 UIL 2-5A Bi-District Softball Championship team. She is also enrolled in Trailblazer Early College High School.
“I was a little nervous, but I was super excited just because I had mom there, and I had my whole family there at the signing,” O’Hara said. “It’s something I really wanted to do so, I was really happy.”