Highland's Lovato earns Eaton Foundation's prized scholarship award

It is not a stretch to describe Makayla Lovato as practically a unicorn among New Mexico’s high school student population.

Among her accomplishments at Highland High School during this recently completed school year: She participated in chess club. She was a school Senator. She was a skilled markswoman in ROTC. She was Highland’s valedictorian. And she has accepted an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland.

Oh yeah, Lovato also was a six-sport athlete for the Hornets.

Not during her entire high school career.

Just this past school year.

Add up all of the impressive pieces, and it wasn’t difficult to understand why the Chris Eaton Foundation earlier this month awarded Lovato its top Chris Eaton Memorial Scholarship prize of $10,000.

“It was really special,” Lovato, 18, said. “It was kind of a surprise. But it was very nice, because it’s nice being a part of this foundation, this family, being a part of this cause.”

The foundation was created in memory of Chris Eaton, the former Sandia High head baseball coach who was 35 when he died in 2022.

The foundation handed out one scholarship award last year. In its second year, with the help of about 200 donations from various people across the country, there are four recipients.

Lovato, who plans on fulfilling her dream of becoming a pilot once she joins the Navy, earned more varsity letters than any student in Highland’s 75-year history, athletic director John Barnhill said.

Just during 2024-25, she competed in soccer, cross country, basketball, powerlifting, golf and track and field. She qualified for state in golf, powerlifting, cross country (all four years) and track and field, and competed at state with the Hornets basketball team.

At the state track and field meet two weeks ago, she placed fifth in the discus.

Lovato, who graduated from Highland with a staggering 4.7 GPA, is a dance instructor, and she also does some volunteering and community service.

“It makes you kind of look at your life and be grateful,” she said of her philanthropic endeavors.

To that end, Lovato said she is giving a portion of her $10,000 prize back to Highland athletics, “a little to each sport I played, that helped me.”

The rest of the money, she said with a slight laugh, will help her once she reaches Annapolis.

Another $10,000 was distributed to three other student-athletes by the Eaton Foundation. A total of 51 boys and girls who are headed to college or a trade school, and who graduated from high schools across the city, applied.

Albuquerque Academy’s Ben Morgan received a $5,000 scholarship. Morgan was Academy’s male Athlete of the Year, playing soccer and basketball.

There was a tie for third: runner Christabel Thiel-Hadjilambrinos of La Cueva and volleyball player Olivia Murphy of Sandia. Both received $2,500 from the Eaton Foundation.

Applicants for scholarships needed to have a 3.2 cumulative GPA and need to have played at least one varsity sport.