Bo Mendez is certainly much more than the man behind the Canyon High (Comal Independent School District) mascot.

The graduating senior was a National Merit Commended student and was recognized by the National Hispanic Scholar Program. He was also the editor of the school’s newspaper, Cougar Tracks, a member of the National Honor Society and student council, and even played guitar in a band.

He’s also one of only 70 students nationwide to be offered a Martin Luther King, Jr. scholarship to New York University.

When Mendez applied to NYU, he had already been accepted at the University of Texas in Austin. Part of the application process, however, was to write an essay about someone who influenced him. Mendez’ chose his grandfather, Roberto “Tata” Piña, a lifelong activist who has worked for 40 years with numerous Mexican American groups in their battle for civil rights.

It turned out Bo was just what the MLK, Jr. Advisory Board was looking for.

“I had never even heard about the scholarship, but they were looking for people who wrote their essays about social consciousness,” he said. “Out of 37,000 students that applied to NYU this year, they offered the scholarship to 70 of us.”

Since 1987, only 300 students have carried the honor of being Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholars. They participate in a rich combination of seminars, domestic and international travel colloquia, research, educational and cultural activities, and community service while at NYU.

The scholarship is worth $100,000 over four years.

“They actually flew me to New York and once I saw the campus, right there in the middle of Manhattan, it was hard to say no,” Mendez said. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I didn’t want to pass it up.”

The fact that the scholarship is named after one of the great civil rights leaders wasn’t lost on Mendez either. He had developed a passion for studying about Gandhi that was borne from the lessons of Canyon High teacher Linda Hammon.

“I find it so amazing that people like MLK and Gandhi were able to change the world,” Bo said. “They give me an incentive to make a difference and not make everything in my life about myself.”

Mendez said he plans to major in classical literature, chemistry or psychology at NYU.

As far as his future is concerned, Mendez said he’s definitely not making any concrete plans. “I’m at the point where I want to learn about and see as much of the world as I can. I figure New York is a great place to start that quest.”