CINCINNATI (WKRC) – With tens of thousands of students nationwide vying for one of the country’s most competitive scholarships, a local high school senior has earned a spot among the select few chosen.
Yirialis Diaz-Mercedes was named a 2026 Gates Scholar, an honor awarded to about 1% of applicants. A total of 61,000 seniors nationwide applied for the Gates Scholarship.
Diaz Mercedes is a senior at De Paul Cristo Rey High School, where she is also this year’s valedictorian…