Wendell graduate to attend Columbia University in the fall

WENDELL, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — The City of Wendell has a population of just under 3,000 people approximately 3,000 times smaller than New York City. Next fall Francisco will be trading in the small town for the Big Apple when he attends Columbia University, an Ivy League school.

Wendell High School had their graduation for the class of 2023 this past Wednesday and among those was Diaz. Diaz was class president, an FFA officer, wrestler and one of three valedictorians.

“It definitely feels nice having all my hard work be rewarded. It’s a long time I’ve always dreamed about going to an Ivy League and I wasn’t sure if that would actually happen. So, to be able to say that I made it feels really nice,” said Diaz. The Wendell High School graduate’s acceptance to Columbia makes him one of a handful of Ivy League students from the area. But Francisco’s road was different than most.

He managed to keep his GPA at a 4.0 level even after a health scare in his second semester of junior year. Still, he persevered through all the difficulties thrown at him and is planning on a future in politics.

“I’m going to start to major in political science. I know most people change majors pretty quickly, so we’ll see what happens. But if my plans go well, I want to be able do whatever I can to help make my community a better place - whether it’s here or wherever I end up going.,” added Diaz.

With all his accolades, and an acceptance into an Ivy League school, the sky is the limit for Francisco.

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