Maryvale Prep Has Something to Howl About

There was excitement in the gymnasium at Maryvale Prep as the upper school scholars filled the bleachers to welcome special guests. Howler, the mascot for the Arizona Coyotes, visited the Great Hearts academy along with the Coyote Cheerleaders (Squad 48) and the Coyotes’ Chief Impact Officer, Nadia Rivera.

After a hockey-related challenge that played out on the gym floor between a few selected students and some antics between Howler and the Maryvale Prep mascot, Rivera was introduced to the student body. She joined the Arizona Coyotes Hockey Club in January 2022 as Chief Impact Officer. Rivera also serves as the Executive Director of the Arizona Coyotes Foundation & Community Impact. “What I do is really cool, actually. I get to help the Arizona Coyotes do good in our community. I help the Arizona Coyotes make our communities better and meet amazing people like you today,” said Rivera. “I get to work with Howler, Squad 48, and our players to go out in the community and bring joy.”

She talked about coming to the United States from Mexico as a child, not knowing any English at the time, and the struggles she faced adapting to a different culture. “You cannot let any challenges that you face hold you back from becoming the best version of you,” she said to the captive audience of Maryvale students.

Maryvale Prep received a $15,000 grant award from the Arizona Coyotes Foundation back in November 2022. This was the first time any Great Hearts academy has been funded by the Foundation. During their visit, Rivera and the team toured the academy and learned more about the good that Maryvale Prep is doing with the generous donation. “The award went to the College Counseling Program to support our dedicated college counselor to provide additional support to our high school students as they earn scholarships to be among the first in their families to attend college, maintain our 100% graduation rate, and increase college acceptance rates and scholarship levels for the class of 2023,” said Great Hearts Major Gifts Officer Haley Kucharo.

Rivera credits her own counselor in high school for pushing her to apply to college. “I didn’t really know what college was because nobody in my family went to college. I didn’t have anybody to guide me or share with me their experience, but there was a high school counselor who sat me down and he had me fill out the three applications to all three state schools and before I knew it, I was accepted to all three schools I applied for. I didn’t know what the next step was, so he helped me file the FAFSA forms as well.”

Do you have a story or know of a story that you would like to see featured at Great Hearts?  Please contact jmoore@greatheartsamerica.org.