MAS Class of 2026 Senior Spotlight: Aileen Jimena Diaz

Describing her high school years as a “stepping stone for the future,” MAS Charter School senior Aileen Jimena Diaz offers a long list of goals that she’s targeting in the next decade.

She intends to graduate from The University of New Mexico, enter the medical field as a registered nurse in the labor and delivery unit at UNM Hospital, raise a big family with kids, and be stable in both life and finances. And, oh yeah, Alleen’s also thinking about serving a stint in the United States Marine Corps.

Aileen credits her teachers at MAS for targeting these future goals. “What I liked best about attending MAS is that the staff pushes you to always give your best,” she says, adding her teachers have always been there when she needed their support. “MAS feels like a family, and the staff here is always doing what is best for students.”

Admitting that school wasn’t always a priority in her life, Aileen termed MAS as a stepping stone for the future. 

“I have also learned that there are times to be playful and joke around with friends, but there are also times where we need to be serious.”

She said she was taught to always be true to herself. “When  I was younger, I was ditching school in order to fit in with my friends at the time, and I quickly realized that this was not only affecting my grades and me, but it was also affecting the one person I care about the most — my mom.”

She has always seen her mother as a hard worker who raised all four kids on her own, getting up each day and giving it her all to provide for her family. “She has managed to give us all that she did not have as a child,” Aileen says. 

As for advice she might have for incoming MAS students, she would urge them to work hard and focus on their education:

“When you’re not focused, you lose sight of how you are performing and then have to work twice as hard to bring your GPA back up.” 

She also urges new high school students to take as many dual college credit classes as soon as they are available to them. 

Outside of school, Aileen values quality time with family and friends. “Spending time with them really makes my days better and they bring out the best in me.” What also brings out the best of her, she says, is the Chicken Alfredo Pasta at Olive Garden.

Aileen is turning hard lessons into a clear path forward, driven by purpose and the determination to build a life she’s proud of. MAS is proud to celebrate her journey and can’t wait to see the impact she’ll make in the years ahead.