Meet Coachella Valley students earning BNP Paribas scholarships

Just a few miles from the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, where the quarterfinals at the BNP Paribas Open were underway, four seniors were celebrating a different kind of victory.

Logan Crabtree, Stephanie Kochel, Perla Lopez Palomares and Ethan Miller, all of La Quinta High School, were each awarded $20,000 from BNP Paribas, part of the largest group of students selected in the scholarship program’s 11-year history.

This year, the European bank honored 10 high school tennis players across the Coachella Valley, more than doubling their typical four scholarships.

In addition to the Blackhawks, the college grants were awarded to Jose Luis Palacios Morales and Evelyn Rios of Shadow Hills High School; Edgar Avila Fuentes and Isabella Partida-Lopez of Coachella Valley High School; and Sinai Beltran and Angel Diarte-Salomon of Desert Mirage High School.

The stories behind the scholarships

For the students recognized Thursday, March 12, the ceremony at La Quinta High also served as recognition for years of dedication both in the classroom and on the tennis court.

Kochel, captain of La Quinta’s girls’ varsity tennis team, said the news initially caught her off guard.

“I honestly taught it was a scam call at first,” she said. “It didn’t really feel real until this week.”

Kochel, who plans to pursue a career in the automotive engineering industry designing luxury or sports cars, hopes to inspire younger students to pursue opportunities in STEM and athletics with confidence, especially young women.

“The hardest part about anything is starting, and you just have to keep showing up,” said Kochel, who will graduate as the class of 2026 valedictorian. “You should do the service of yourself by keeping doors open for you.”

More: What it’s like to be a ball kid at the BNP Paribas Open

Perseverance is the lesson Lopez Palomares said tennis has taught her, who joined the girls’ tennis team her junior year and went on to earn both the Most Improved Player and Sportsmanship awards.

“I’m always out there pushing the court, the match. My games are usually the longest, so everybody’s out there cheering me on going, ‘We want to go home,'” she said. “I’m like, ‘I know, I know, I’m almost done, I’m almost done.’ I just want to play through it all.”

During a preseason match last season, a severe cramp in her calf forced her to leave the court early — and her first instinct, while in pain, was to worry she had let down her teammates.

“My coach told me I had done my part and now I could cheer on my teammates and give them tips,” she said. “Watching them from that perspective really bonded me with them. It made me realize how much potential we have.”

Lopez Palomares plans to study biology or biochemistry in college with the goal of becoming a pharmaceutical developer, an interest she discovered during a lab unit on genetics and medicine in her biology class.

Much of that drive comes from her parents, she said.

“They’ve led me through my faith all my life. That’s a big part of who I am,” Lopez Palomares said.

As with his peers, a commitment to leadership and service has guided much of Miller’s time in high school, while tennis has unexpectedly helped shape his plans for the future.

“I always thought tennis would just be something I played in high school and would enjoy for the rest of my life,” he said. “I never thought it could benefit me somewhere else, like my education. It just shows the wide potential of how tennis can benefit you.”

Miller, who served as squadron commander of the high school’s JROTC this past semester, plans to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy and study economics, as well as pursue his longtime goal of becoming a pilot — a dream inspired in part by his grandfather, whom he affectionally calls “Papa.”

“He’s always pushed me to go after what I’m passionate about,” he said.

Miller singled out his coach, Jay Nettimi, who said encouraged him to “actually take that first step of picking up a racket, while also crediting his parents for supporting his pursuit of tennis.

Among the experiences that stood out during his time in high school was a leadership camp that brought together juniors from across Southern California to build leadership skills alongside students he had never met before.

At first, Miller said, it would have been easy to “sink into a corner” and keep to himself. Instead, he pushed himself to actively participate and left with new friendships and insights from other student leaders.

“Without a doubt, if you’re an open-minded person, you’ll be so much further ahead,” Miller said. “And you’ll also grow from experiences, if you’re willing to learn from them. You need to be open-minded to do that.”

Their moment at the BNP Paribas Open

All 10 student-athletes were set to be recognized during an on-court presentation on the final weekend of the BNP Paribas Open — which could put them within reach of some of the world’s top-ranked players.

Kochel said she hoped to catch Carlos Alcaraz or Coco Gauff while there, although Gauff was forced to withdraw during the tournament due to an injury. Lopez Palomares and Miller both said they’d love to see Jannik Sinner compete, while Miller added he was also hoping to see an American make a deep run in the tennis tournament.

“I’m just eternally grateful,” Miller said.

Jennifer Cortez covers education in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: BNP Paribas awards scholarships to Coachella Valley students