On Thursday, three high school seniors from Edinburg and Los Fresnos were honored with prestigious awards; two received full rides to college.

Los Fresnos High School senior Ozzy Perales and Edinburg North High School senior Selena Castanon were selected by the Navy to go to college for free.

“I’m super proud that I was able to get this,” Castanon said. “College is expensive. My older sister graduated, and she’s still in debt, so thankfully, that won’t happen to me.”

Both Castano and Perales graduated with a 3.0 or higher GPA, over 100 hours of community service, and experience in skill competitions and extra-curricular activities.

Another outstanding senior at Los Fresnos High is Catalina Valdez. She received the Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for achievement, a prestigious cadet award.

Valdez is one of four students nationwide to receive the award.

“I was really surprised,” Valdez said. “I didn’t expect this at all. I was just doing what I needed to do.”

The two full-ride recipients have their college plans down. Perales is going to Texas A&M University, where he plans to study nuclear engineering. His sister-in-arms Castanon will attend Clark Atlanta University in Georgia, where she’ll learn to become a bomb technician.

Both students encourage younger students to get involved in school programs and strive for excellence.