Alejandra Saavedra Awarded Sarah E. Menez Memorial Scholarship
Emory University-bound, Beechwood Senior honored for excellence in musicianship and
service to community.
FORT MITCHELL, KY – On May 22, 2024, at the Beechwood High School Senior Honors program, the
Beechwood Band Boosters announced that Alejandra Saavedra was the Sarah E. Menez Memorial Scholarship
10th Annual award recipient.
Alejandra was a member of the Beechwood Marching Tigers (2019-2023), where she was a section leader
(2021-2023), three-time KMEA State Champion (2019, 2021, 2023), Bands of America (BOA) Regional Class
A Champion (2019), and BOA Grand National Semifinalist (2019, 2022, 2023). She was a member of the Beechwood Marching Tigers which received the Sudler Shield Award (2022) by the John Philip Sousa Foundation, an award to premier high school marching bands internationally ranked at a world-class level of excellence. Outside of instrumental music, she was a member of the BHS Speech & Debate Team (2022-2024), Book Club (2022-2024), Varsity Tennis Team (2019-2024), and Multicultural Club (2022-2024). She was selected for the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra (1st piccolo and 2nd flute), Cincinnati Youth Symphonic Wind, Tri-state Flute Choir, and Kentucky Student Voice Team (Research Team). She was academically recognized as a BHS National Honor Society member (2021-2024) and served as its president (2023-2024), Mu Alpha Theta member (2021-2024) and served as its president (2023-2024), National English Honor Society member (2022-2024) and served as its president (2023-2024), Honor Roll student (2019-2024), AP Scholar with Distinction (2022-2024), Kentucky Commonwealth Ambassador (2023), and Regional Scholar (Coca-Cola Foundation, 2024), She has received a scholarship to Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
As one recommender wrote, “Alejandra is an outstanding individual who has demonstrated exceptional
dedication, intelligence, and leadership throughout her time at Beechwood High School.” A teacher wrote, “She
has a profound understanding that it’s not enough to get the right answer; she truly wants to obtain a deep
understanding of every mathematical concept we study.”
Upon receiving the award, Alejandra remarked, “I am honored that the scholarship committee recognized me
for this award and, as importantly, am proud to be among those students that this scholarship has supported over
the years.”
On behalf of the Beechwood Band Boosters, President Jason Blair added, “We are pleased to have this
scholarship to promote purposes and qualities of character, musicianship, and academic achievement in our
students. It is always a challenge, however, to select one student from so many fine candidates.”
In the photo of the 2024 scholarship presentation, which appears in the upper right-hand corner of this article,
the individuals are from left to right: Beechwood Director of Bands Austin Bralley, award recipient Alejandra
Saavedra, President of the Beechwood Band Boosters Jason Blair, and Joe Menez.
The Sarah E. Menez Memorial Scholarship was established in 2014 by the Beechwood Band Boosters in
association with Joseph Menez to honor the memory of his late wife Sarah Menez. One scholarship is awarded
annually for tuition assistance to a senior attending Beechwood High School who has best represented the
personal qualities of Sarah Menez, musicianship, academic promise and who has been accepted at an accredited
college or university.
To learn more about the scholarship, visit www.beechwoodbands.org or contact Beechwood Bands Director
Austin Bralley at (859) 331-1220. Contributions to the Sarah E. Menez Memorial Scholarship are welcome and
can be donated to the Beechwood Band Boosters as a gift designated for the Sarah E. Menez Memorial
Scholarship. The Band Boosters mailing address is 54 Beechwood Road, Ft. Mitchell, KY 41017.
The Beechwood Band Boosters is a non-profit IRC 501(c)(3) organization that was established to assist
Beechwood’s Bands and directors with their programs and projects; to lend financial assistance to the bands for
co-curricular and extracurricular activities; and to promote a culture of excellence and exquisite musicianship.
Beechwood Independent School District provides a co-educational public education for 1,200 students in grades
K through 12. Its elementary and high schools are integrated into a single campus in Ft. Mitchell, KY. The
School District is known for high academic achievement and excellence in extracurricular activities. The high
school is nationally ranked among America’s best public high schools by Newsweek and U.S. New and World
Report. Both the high school and elementary school are recognized as a National Blue-Ribbon School of
Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education. More information is available at www.beechwood.kyschools.us.
