From the doors of Davis Elementary School as a student to her own classroom door at Irving High School as a teacher, alumna Yaneli Franco shares her love for learning everyday. 

Yaneli Franco was born and raised in Irving, and attended Davis ES, Lady Bird Johnson MS, and Jack E. Singley Academy. She was her class’ salutatorian. While at Singley, she served as the president of National Honor Society, was a member of the Science Bowl and of the Student Council. While attending Singley to pursue her speciality in Medical Sciences, Yaneli commuted to Irving High School everyday to participate in fine arts and athletics. She was second chair in the Irving High varsity band and played for the varsity soccer team, junior varsity softball team, and was a drill team member of the Toy Tigers.

Her involvement in her extracurricular activities and her academic excellence made Yaneli the ideal candidate for an Irving Schools Foundation scholarship. She was the recipient of the Lance CPL Nazario Serrano Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to graduating seniors in the upper 25% of their class who have demonstrated community service efforts. 

Yaneli accepted her offer to attend the University of Texas at Austin to pursue a major in Mathematics and minor in African American Studies. She used her ISF scholarship to purchase her textbooks and materials. She says, “it was a financial relief to my family and myself.”

“Moving to Austin was an incredible experience that I will always cherish. As a first generation student, I faced many challenges ranging from lack of confidence in rigorous courses to becoming knowledgeable about navigating the resources available. Despite the challenges faced at UT Austin, I made lifelong friends, I developed a sense of maturity and independence, and expanded my knowledge.” 

After graduating from UT Austin, Yaneli realized that she wanted to be a part of the education system and mold the minds of future generations. Today, Yaneli is an Algebra II teacher at Irving High School, in the same District she grew up in. As a teacher, Yaneli shares her passion for learning with her students.  

We look forward to all of your future accomplishments! We congratulate Yaneli for the impact she’s made and will continue to make in the lives of Irving ISD students. 

To donate to the Lance CPL Nazario Memorial Scholarship fund, please visit https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E245518&id=4