The BNP Paribas Open awarded its 11th annual high school scholarships today in a special on-court ceremony in Stadium 1, as title sponsor BNP Paribas presented ten grants of $20,000 each to distinguished high school seniors in the Coachella Valley community. In 2026, BNP Paribas more than doubled the number of scholarships, broadening the program’s reach from one school and four students per year to ten students across four schools.

The winners of the 11th annual BNP Paribas Open Scholarships are Logan Crabtree, Stephanie Kochel, Ethan Miller and Perla Lopez Palomares from La Quinta High School, Jose Luis Palacios Morales and Evelyn Rios from Shadow Hills High School, Edgar Avila Fuentes and Isabella Partida-Lopez from Coachella Valley High School, and Sinai Beltran and Angel Diarte-Salomon from Desert Mirage High School, all located in the Coachella Valley in California and all from the graduating class of 2026.

Each recipient must meet stringent requirements including a strong academic record and a demonstrable commitment to tennis. Each student was awarded a $20,000 college grant at a ceremony hosted at La Quinta High School on Thursday, March 12 in addition to being recognized during an on-court presentation at the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday, March 14.

José Placido, CEO of BNP Paribas USA and CIB Americas, said: “BNP Paribas has always believed that tennis has a positive impact beyond the court. For a decade, we have been immensely proud to support high-achieving students in the Coachella Valley who display a passion for tennis. Today, to mark our 11th Annual Scholarship Awards, we are delighted to expand this program to ten exceptional young tennis players to support them in achieving their goals and help them go from the court to college. A warm congratulations to Logan, Stephanie, Ethan, Perla, Jose, Evelyn, Edgar, Isabella, Sinai and Angel, all of whom embody the principles of commitment, tenacity and hard work.”

Peggy Michel, Assistant Tournament Director of the BNP Paribas Open, also added: “The 2026 scholarship winners demonstrate that the positive impact of tennis extends beyond the court. It is wonderful to see BNP Paribas increase the number of scholarships this year and reaffirm its commitment to supporting talented young leaders in the Coachella Valley community. Congratulations to all of our remarkable award winners for their excellent achievements in both academics and sports, and we wish you all continued success as you embark on your college careers.”

Kelly May-Vollmar, Superintendent, Desert Sands Unified School District, said: “I am so proud of the ten students who earned this year’s BNP Paribas Open Scholarship Awards through their academic success, community involvement and dedication to tennis. Congratulations to all the recipients and thank you to BNP Paribas for more than doubling the number of grants awarded and supporting more students as they pursue their high education ambitions.”

 Scholarship Winner Biographies

 La Quinta High School

 Logan Crabtree

 Logan hopes to one day pursue a career in education or psychology so that he can help people with their mental health. He has demonstrated a passion for English Literature and enrolled in challenging Language and Literature courses, where he excelled in understanding complex literary texts. In addition to being a diligent student, he is involved in the performing arts and has taken on leadership roles in his dance classes, helping to guide his peers. Logan also spent three years on the varsity tennis team and has been part of the BNP Paribas tennis program for youth.  

 Stephanie Kochel

Stephanie is an exceptional student who has won multiple academic awards throughout her high school career, and her extracurricular activities showcase her passion for STEM: she is the STEM Club President and the captain of her school’s National Science Bowl team. Outside of school, Stephanie is a mathematics tutor. In addition, she has shown great dedication to tennis as the girls’ varsity tennis captain at her school, where she won the Coaches’ Award in 2025. Stephanie is also active as a mentor in her community; she is a volunteer tennis teacher for children aged K-8 and helps kids build confidence through martial arts as a Taekwondo instructor.

 Ethan Miller

Ethan has excelled in his academic pursuits and has spent four years honing his leadership skills in the Air Force Junior ROTC, attaining the position of Squadron Commander and overseeing 107 cadets. Ethan has won national awards because of his academics, leadership and citizenship: Airforce Association Award, Military Order of the World Wars Award and Retired Enlisted Association Award. He aims to pursue aviation in college to achieve his dream of becoming a pilot. An avid tennis player, Ethan is the captain of boys’ varsity tennis team and credits the sport with helping him build confidence.

Perla Lopez Palomares

Perla is on her school’s Honor Roll and pursues a wide variety of extracurricular activities. She is a lifeguard, a section leader in the LQHS choir, the secretary of the school’s Interact club, and volunteers as a children’s music teacher at her church. She is a dedicated tennis player who has stood out not only for her technical skill and competitive drive, but also for her leadership abilities, sportsmanship and teamwork. She has won Most Improved Player and Sportsmanship awards through her efforts on the tennis court. Perla explores her artistic side through painting, drawing, singing and creative writing.

Shadow Hills High School

Jose Luis Palacios Morales

Jose is a dedicated and hardworking student who consistently pushes himself into new academic challenges, displaying a proactive approach to learning. Outside of the classroom, he revitalized the school’s the Model United Nations program, eventually serving as the club’s president. Jose is also a tennis player and notes that the sport showed him the importance of teamwork and commitment. Jose balances grades, clubs and tennis with community service. He is a volunteer with Raices Cultura, an arts and culture non-profit in Coachella, CA; he has contributed over 100 hours of his time to the organization and demonstrated responsibility, dedication and leadership.

Evelyn Rios

Evelyn is an Honor Roll student who has excelled in rigorous courses that require a high level of critical thinking, collaboration and effort. She brings enthusiasm and positive energy to the classroom, as well as a willingness to help her peers. Evelyn has also been a mentor through her school’s LINK program, which pairs juniors and seniors with incoming freshmen to help them feel welcome and included. In addition, she started playing tennis with no knowledge of the sport but quickly fell in love with it and dedicated herself to learning everything she could, eventually joining the varsity team in the doubles category.   

Coachella Valley High School

Edgar Avila Fuentes

Edgar is an avid athlete who participates in multiple sports, but he is extremely passionate about tennis and plays almost every day, dedicating countless hours to practicing and training. He notes that he has a strong competitive streak, but that tennis also taught him valuable lessons in consistency, humility and respect. As a student, he is trustworthy and responsible and has worked hard to improve his academics during his high school career. Edgar also makes a positive impact on his community through his volunteer work with Friday Night Live, a drug and alcohol prevention program located in the Indio unemployment office.

Isabella Partida-Lopez

Isabella hopes to leverage her strong communications skills into a Marketing major in college. She is a diligent student with a strong academic record and has won awards for her consistently high GPA. She is active outside the classroom and has participated in internships in the real estate and media/communications fields, where she proved herself to be responsible and professional. Isabella is also a determined athlete, who has played on her varsity tennis team from her freshman year and has approached competition with a calm and focused demeanor. She credits her culture, her family and her love of learning with shaping her determination to succeed.

Desert Mirage High School

Sinai Beltran

Sinai’s dream is to serve her community as a child psychologist. She has excelled in her schoolwork, has won multiple academic awards, and is set to graduate as the valedictorian of her class. Beyond academics, she is an active member of her local community, primarily working to help children – as a mentor in the Carnalito program, she has not only tutored children in mathematics but also provided advice and emotional support. At school, she is the president of the Movimento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, a cultural empowerment group that encourages Latino youth to be active in their community. Sinai is also a committed tennis player and part of her school’s varsity team, where she plays in the doubles category.

Angel Diarte-Salomon

Angel has excelled in his academic pursuits, including taking multiple AP courses, and has made the Honor Roll every year from 9th to 12th grade. He is also an accomplished athlete, who plays both basketball and tennis. As the boys’ varsity tennis captain, he would lead by example and motivate his teammates, and he was named the team’s Most Valuable Player in the 2024-2025 school year. On top of his impressive achievements in academics and sports, Angel is an innovator: he is currently developing the framework for an automatic tree trimmer and is learning how to program a machine learning model to predict the value of crude oil based on past and present data.