Seniors receiving the awards were told they were finalists for the scholarship but did not know they had won until the meeting started.
"It's really awesome. I can't believe it happened," said Randy Ferrell, one of the recipients.
Ferrell's mom, Anna Atencio, told KOB she's proud of her son and happy he can continue his education.
"I'm just really proud of him because he's worked really hard," Atencio said.
Each scholarship is worth about $18,800 a year. The money goes to tuition and fees, room and board, supplies and books.
The scholarship was founded by TV pioneer and entrepreneur Bill Daniels.
This year, 24 students from New Mexico received the award including Estrella Torres. Torres told KOB she's happy to know her education will be paid for. She's also a first-generation college student.
"I do it to make my grandma proud. She's fighting cancer at the moment," Torres said.
"All her life she's been a go-getter so she's determined," Torres' grandma said.
More than 4,000 Daniels Scholarships have been awarded since 2000, for a total of $188 million.