Faces of Global: Scholarship Winner Mia Payan Embarks on College Journey

Mia Payan, a proud 2021 graduate of Vista PEAK Preparatory in Aurora, Colo., is in the first year of her college experience at CSU Global—and through a unique partnership with Aurora Public Schools, she’ll do so debt-free. Payan is one of just four APS graduates last year named as Golden Eagle Scholars, a scholarship that covers four years of book and tuition at CSU Global. 

Payan shared, “I found out about the scholarship from my high school, and my mom helped me [with the application]. At first, I didn’t want to apply, but I realized what a great opportunity this was. I knew I wanted to go to college. And I was already used to online education because of the pandemic. I really wanted a college that I could do on my own time, in my own house.” 

Sadly, Payan’s father passed away three years ago. “One of the last things that my dad told me was that he planned to go to different colleges to gather more information to help me determine the best fit. He encouraged me to stay on top of my grades to get into a good school.” Both of Payan’s parents were the first in their families to receive master’s degrees, and always shared with her the importance of higher education. 

Today she is pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing at CSU Global, with a dream to one day open a skateboard shop (Payan goes to the skatepark every day) to combine her passions. Reporting straight As so far, Payan said, “I’m really proud to be a CSU Global Golden Eagle Scholar. It’s cool to be part of multiple campuses and the CSU System. I truly enjoy being a student here.”