Sunnyside High School number one in US for admission to University of Arizona

TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) - It’s no secret Tucson loves the University of Arizona, but students at Sunnyside might take the prize for being the U of A’s biggest fans yet.

This year, Sunnyside High School is the number one high school in the country to have the most students apply and get accepted to the U of A.

One hundred ninety-three students from Sunnyside are looking at the U of A as their next step, and 90 percent of those students are the first in their families to attend college for the first time.

“Being able to share that students from Tucson belong at the University of Arizona [and] are a part of our community,” said Dan Kellish, “has been really important to our partnership and a really important message to share out.”

Kellish is the director of Arizona recruitment for the University of Arizona.

For some students, the University’s shining reputation for its athletic programs is what they are excited about most.

“I’m a big football guy,” said Neahmiah. “So I gotta say, ‘Go Wildcats.’ "

For others, their pride in southern Arizona and its community makes the University of Arizona a top choice to consider.

“If you come or live in Tucson, it’s always going to be an option to go to the UofA, so it’s definitely one of my options,” said Nayelli.

“I don’t know if I’m going to stay here, but it’s going to be one of my options to attend the U of A.”

With its proximity and now 4-year partnership with the University of Arizona’s recruitment office, UA seems like a natural next step. Still, Sunnyside’s efforts to get kids in college don’t stop there.

“You know, we’re super proud of many students being admitted to the University of Arizona, but I also don’t want that to diminish the work we do to get our kids into ASU or NAU,” said Sunnyside HS Principal Stephanie Ponce.

“We have kids at Howard, UCLA, Berkely; he has kids across the country. What we’re trying to get to, if our kids wanna be there, we’re helping them get there, and those are the barriers we’re working on breaking down.”

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