Four MHS Seniors win Ford Foundation Family Scholarships

Four seniors from Madras High School are now officially Ford Foundation Scholars. Congratulations to Sebastian Corona Ortega, Alicia Quinto, Kyra Weeks, and Ashlyn Wolfe for receiving the Ford Foundation Scholarship. This scholarship covers 90% of unmet needs, and provides a renewable financial award of up to $40,000 per year.

Sebastian Corona Ortega

Sebastian Ortega has dedicated his time to putting himself in the best position possible to receive this scholarship. The big motivating factor for him has been giving back to his family, but specifically, his parents. They are first generation immigrants and Corona said they’ve made sacrifices to give him this opportunity. 

“This would make me the first person in our entire family to go to college,” he said. 

Ortega was in a competition and representing MHS when he found out he got the scholarship. He was at an FFA field day event and during a break he felt a notification go off on his phone. He checked to see what it was and saw that the Ford Foundation had emailed him. 

“It showed the logo of the Ford Scholarship. I stared at it and I was wondering, ‘should I open it now and see what happens?’ I opened it and was glad to see that I got it. That was nice and I was really excited,” he said. 

Ortega had to temper his excitement though, being in the middle of a welding competition day. 

“I tried to keep it cool, it would’ve been nice to let out a cheer but it is okay,” he said. 

Following the competition, Ortega told his family the exciting news. He called it a heartfelt moment where his mom was crying tears of happiness, his dad cheered in excitement for his son, and his younger brothers joined in on the excitement as well for their big bro. It was a moment that he won’t soon forget when his family was happy and cheering that college was just made a little bit easier now. 

Getting to this point has not been easy though. Ortega has been actively involved in the manufacturing program at MHS, taken several college courses, receiving college credits along the way and has been a member of the National Honor Society Chapter at MHS. It was through taking manufacturing classes that he found his passion for designing things.

One project he took on was designing the gate for our district’s land lab located at J Street and McTaggart Road. During his sophomore year, he also designed a new sign for the Martin’s Commons subdivision in Metolius.

One of his other passions is aviation, and he wanted to find something that combined these two interests so he could work in a field he is passionate about. The answer is aeronautical engineering. 

“That has motivated me to go to college and just get through this career path and then I'll hopefully end up at Boeing one day working,” he said. 

In the fall, Ortega plans to attend Oregon State University where he will study aeronautical engineering. He’s excited to learn all he can about his career field and further his skills. The scholarship will allow him to devote his time and energy to his studies and life as a student in Corvallis. The worry of how he is going to pay for all of it will not need to cross his mind. 

“I can literally strive for being the best engineer I can and just not worry about what it is going to cost me later or stuff like that. That'll be the stress off my chest,” he said. 

One person that has supported him every step of the way is his mother, Antonia Ortega. She pushed him to apply for the scholarship and has pushed him to be the best student he can be throughout his time in our district.

Alicia Quinto

Alicia Quinto has had her eyes on continuing her education in college as long as she can remember. It was something that was emphasized in her family. Her parents, Isaias Quinto and Nancy Poviz, immigrated from Peru nearly 25 years ago and always stressed the importance of education to her.

This mentality is what drove her to apply for the scholarship. She also witnessed friends and family members receive the scholarship which motivated her more. 

“I felt, given the stuff that I had done in my high school career, that I could be a really good candidate for it,” Quinto said. “I just really pushed and reminded myself that it was something that I wanted for myself and for my family, knowing that it would open so many doors for me.” 

This feeling made receiving the scholarship even sweeter. It was another day attending classes at Madras High, about a week after her final interview with the Ford Foundation Scholarship Committee. She was on her way to her health class when she ran into a classmate and fellow Ford Foundation Scholarship recipient, Ashlyn Wolfe. 

“I don't know what hits me, but I asked her, ‘Hey, have you heard anything?’”

Ashlyn had indeed heard. 

“She told me, ‘You should check your email.’

The Ford Foundation had notified its scholarship recipients about 20 minutes earlier. Quinto sits down in class and checks her email on her Chromebook.

“I saw the email, and I was scared,” she said. “I open it, and just see, ‘Congratulations.’

Celebration ensued inside the health class. 

“Oh my god, we got it,” she said. 

Quinto and Wolfe started celebrating together. Then, Kyra Weeks, another Ford Foundation Scholarship recipient, was also in the same class with them and checked her email to see that she was also a Ford Scholar. 

“We were all just like, yay,” Quinto said. 

What came next was notifying her family. She told her sister and her mother and another person who helped prepare her for the scholarship process, Kelsey Olivera. Olivera received the scholarship herself years ago. After sharing her great news, she felt a huge wave of relief wash over her, knowing that paying for college was now covered. 

“All the things that I want to do after high school are obtainable now,” she said. 

To get to this point, Quinto set out to build a well-rounded application for the scholarship. She was involved with athletics, clubs, and taking college level courses.

One club or experience that has helped open doors for her is Key Club. This group is affiliated with Kiwanis and is the largest student-led service organization for high school students. She has enjoyed participating in this group and making an impact on her community. These experiences have also shown her where her passion lies, in advocating for rural and Latino communities. 

It was then a connection made through Key Club where Quinto was connected to the Democratic Party of Oregon. She met many people there that shape the political landscape in Oregon.

“It was so cool just hearing how they got to where they were,” she said. “All the different paths they went through. It became really clear that it wasn't just one straight path.”

A marquee experience for Quinto was moderating an hour-long panel with congressional women of Oregon. Another moment that stands out is meeting former State Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum. 

“She was the first woman Attorney General for Oregon and she was one of three women in her law class, and I thought that was insane,” Quinto said. She really inspired me to keep going down that law path, if she can do it, I can do it too.”

Following high school, Quinto plans to attend the University of Oregon, where she will double major in political science and sociology. She’s excited to be in Eugene and get involved with student government and meet new people. 

As she looks ahead to what is next for her, she is quick to recognize the help and support she’s received along the way. Her parents have been a guiding force for her throughout her life. 

“For teaching me to be proud of my background and everything,” she said. “I feel like their emphasis on education growing up really determined how I tried in school.” 

Her older sister for showing her what is possible. 

“She really inspired me. She was the first one in our family to go to college,” she said. “I feel like her going to college felt like going to college was more attainable for me.”

Her Key Club advisor for showing her the possibilities that await. 

“Kim Schmith, I feel like she's opened so many doors for me,” she said. “She's the one who introduced me to the Democratic Party of Oregon and that itself opened so many doors for me,” she said.  “I'm really grateful for her.”

Kyra Weeks

When Kyra Weeks was deciding what scholarships to go after, she didn’t think she had much of a chance at the Ford Foundation Scholarship. However, encouragement from teachers, school staff, and her parents, helped her decide to apply for it anyway.

“I ended up applying and obviously it turned out well,” Weeks said. “It's very exciting.” 

The excitement set in on what was a typical day at school. In the hallway, on her way to her health class, she ran into another scholarship recipient, Ashlyn Wolfe, who mentioned to her that she should check her email. The stress set in. 

She arrived at class, but all that is on her mind is if she is a Ford Scholar or not. Her anticipation rises as she opens up her Chromebook to check her email. Then she sees one from the Ford Foundation. 

“I see, Congratulations, and I almost start bawling,” she said. “Then me, Alicia [Quinto], and Ashlyn [Wolfe] are all in class together. We kind of squeal and hold hands.” 

Together, these three girls celebrate a moment that culminates years of hard work and sets them up for success the next four years. The next few people to find out the big news is her family. After her 4th period, she went to her car to share. 

“I was calling my mom and I just sobbed. I was so just overjoyed and relieved,” she said. “My mom was over the moon, couldn't stop saying how all my hard work had paid off.” 

She called her dad who stopped what he was doing at work to congratulate her and then her little sister and shared the news with the classmates around her.

“It just was this big, joyous thing over the phone getting to hear everyone,” Weeks said. 

The joyous celebration came from a particular group that Weeks is a close friend of. Her little sister was at a contest with Madras FFA, an organization that Kyra has been a member of throughout her middle and high school years. She’s been deeply involved with Madras FFA and credits the organization for shaping and growing her work ethic, leadership and communication skills. 

Her accomplishments within FFA are numerous. Some of them include receiving her State FFA Degree in 2025, being named the Best in Show Poultry Breeder and Reserve Champion Poultry Showman at the 2025 Oregon State Fair, winning 1st High Advertising individual in Districts which qualified her for state, she was also a member of the parliamentary procedure team that won 1st at sectionals which qualified them for state, winning 2nd at state in 2026 for Poultry and she was the 1st high individual for the whole state, serving as the Madras FFA Treasurer for the last two years, and serving on the Central Oregon District FFA Officer Team her senior year. 

But the accomplishment she is most proud of is earning first place and Gold at the FFA State Convention for her Poultry Production Entrepreneurship Proficiency, which earned her a trip to Nationals. 

“It's on my projects over the last five plus years on my turkeys, my chickens, and quail. It encompasses all of those where I write down summaries, planning, and well kept records,” Weeks said. “I also have to interview at multiple levels with big interview committees. That one was huge, when I found out I won, my face just lit up. I was so overjoyed. I almost cried because that was one of my biggest dreams of high school.”

About two months later, she accomplished another big dream of landing the Ford Foundation Scholarship. Next year, she plans on attending Oregon State University where she plans on studying animal sciences and fish and wildlife. This will set her up nicely for a future career in either the Broiler or Fish and Wildlife industry. 

In addition to Madras FFA, Kyra was an active student-athlete, participating for Madras High's Swim team and Track & Field team. As her senior year and time in high school is coming to an end, she is looking forward to what life in college will be like. Life in the dorms, exploring OSU’s campus, going to games, and meeting new people are some of the things she is looking forward to. The scholarship will allow her to truly devote herself to her studies. 

“This scholarship just gives me so much more ability to be a full fledged student who can focus on contributing to the school, building connections, and eventually contributing to the real world in a career,” she said.

She’s especially thankful to those who helped her get her this far. 

“I'd like to thank all of my family, but especially my mom, my little sister, and my dad.”

Ashlyn Wolfe

Going into the medical field has been a dream of Ashlyn Wolfe’s for as long as she can remember. She’s been determined to reach this goal and not let anything else stand in her way. Lit by this fire, she applied for the Ford Foundation Scholarship to set her up financially for the next four years. 

“I was really, really hopeful that the Ford would allow me to go to school, debt free,” Wolfe said.

That was a big hope that hung on the decision of the Ford Foundation Scholarship Committee. She waited anxiously for the decision, when she finally saw an email come into her inbox while in her third period class.  

“I got the email on my watch, and I saw Ford, and my heart just dropped,” she said. 

She also saw the only word she needed to see to know the outcome, “Congratulations,” the email read. 

“I just ran out of the class, I read the email and I texted my mom,” she said. “I just sat in the bathroom texting her and crying in the bathroom stall, because we're not allowed on our phones.” 

The ‘Off and Away’ rule would not stop Ashlyn from sharing this life changing news with her biggest supporter, her mother, Kristin Grisewood. 

“I wanted my mom to be the first to know. She was the first to know everything. She was the first to know for every college I got into, for every acceptance, and every scholarship that I got, she's always been the first to know.” 

The two of them exchanged texts that read ‘Oh my god,’ until her mother congratulated her and told her that all of her work had paid off. 

Upon returning to class, emotions still high, she shared the news with her teacher, Mr. Ian Garrett. After he finished lecturing, he asked the class if there were any questions. Wolfe asked him to come over to her desk and showed him the email on her laptop. 

“He started yelling to the whole class that I got the Ford, and that I worked really hard, and I deserved it,” Wolfe said. 

The excitement shared with her mom, Mr. Garrett, and her classmates was the culminating moment for her after years of hard work and dedicating her time to learning everything she can about health sciences at Madras High. 

Her experiences include an internship with Jefferson County Public Health and with Oregon Health Science University Programs. She also participated in Health Occupations Students of America, or HOSA. This is a global student-led organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services and several federal and state agencies. She also had the unique opportunity to shadow health occupations in Jefferson County. 

“I followed 12 different sections within the hospital. Then I think it was about nine out in the community with the dentist office, and optometrist.” 

Wolfe has also been a member of the Madras High Track & Field team. She plans on attending the University of Oregon where she will study human physiology and indigenous studies. Post-college, she wants to be a physician and researcher. 

“I want to research specifically with oncology and the cancer cells and drugs within it, and I want to treat within oncology as well,” she said. 

One of the biggest things she is looking forward to about college is the opportunity to continue learning her Native Language, Ichishkin. 

“I speak Ichishkin, Sahaptin,” she said. “They offer the Yakima dialect within the University of Oregon, and they don't offer it anywhere else, pretty much in the whole U.S.” 

As she reflects on her time in high school and wonders what lies ahead in Eugene, she credits her mom in particular for helping make all of this possible. 

“My mom has definitely been my biggest support, and pretty much the reason that I was able to do anything, and everything that I've done within high school,” she said.