Next fall, a McAllen high school senior will be on his way to the University of Texas in Austin.

He received a scholarship for the impact he's made at his school and in the community.

Emilian Sosa is persistent and lives by the saying "querer es poder," if you want to, you will do it.

He says if you want to achieve something and have passion, you will always find a way despite whatever life throws your way.

Sosa says his mom was the only thing he had. She was his role model in life.

Back in 2021, he sent a letter to Governor Greg Abbott asking for help to cure his mom from COVID-19. She eventually got the help she needed, but did not survive.

Sosa says his mom left him with an important lesson, "querer es poder."

Since then, Sosa has worked hard keeping up his grades at school and was accepted to UT-Austin this year. He is one of 13 valley seniors who received the Impact Scholarship.

"It was relieving, because as a family with low-income, that urgent need of finding scholarships, finding anything to help you go to college and be successful, this scholarship just relieved everything and all the hard work we've put in through the three years, it finally paid off," Sosa said.

A $48,000 scholarship will help cover his tuition. He plans to major in International Business and wants to continue being involved in school leadership.

Sosa says his goal is to one day open a non-profit that will focus on counseling, something he says he and his mom shared a passion for.