Congratulations are in order for Senior and accomplished scholar, David Villa. After 4 years of dedication and hard work, he has maintained at the top of his class and has officially earned the title of Aldine Sr. High School Class of 2023 Valedictorian. However, the applause should not conclude there, because this Mustang Senior has been accepted into one of the top research institutes in the United States!
Upon graduating from Aldine Sr. High School this upcoming June, David will be attending Johns Hopkins University as a first-generation college student with all costs covered by JHU. Villa has set his sights on pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering, with a focus on Translational Cell and Tissue Engineering. In the future, David also plans to conduct stem cell research and create/enhance relief treatment for patients with neurodegenerative diseases.
David Villa has excelled in many areas in his high school career. Throughout the span of his high school career, he has worn many hats and served in countless leadership roles. To mention a few, David has obtained the role of President of Business Professionals of America, Vice-President of the National Technical Honor Society, Parliamentarian of the National Honor Society, Blood Drive Officer of Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), Recruiter and Honor Team Member of Aldine HS United States Academic Decathlon, One of Five of Aldine High School Ambassadors for Aldine I.S.D. Superintendent’s Student Ambassadors, member of the Chick-Fil-A Academy, Member of Aldine ISD/HS Dream Team, Member of Project GRAD Houston, and an EMERGE Fellow. Villa has also remained a member of the University of Houston-Downtown Talent Search since his 7th-grade year and received the College Board National Hispanic Recognition Program Award.
In addition to all of the aforementioned achievements, David has consistently immersed himself in scholarly experiences such as his participation in the University of Washington’s highly selective computer science program – the University of Washington’s “Artificial Intelligence for All” or “UW – AI4ALL” program.
A “fun fact” about David is that he enjoys collecting “Plushies”, and he looks forward to rendering a portion of his savings to add a “Squishable Blue Jay Plush Toy” from the Johns Hopkins University bookstore to his collection. Though David is decorated in academic awards and achievements, in his spare time he enjoys writing poetry that is reflective of his own personal life experiences. His other hobbies include playing video games with his friends such as Minecraft and Roblox. You may be surprised to learn that David even enjoys binging horror movies such as his favorite movie of all time – Insidious: Chapter 2.
The entire Aldine Sr. High School family is proud of David Villa, and we wish him luck as he prepares for his journey to higher education. We simply cannot wait to hear his graduation speech in June!
