Jiaxin Jiang, Eugene Im Photo courtesy MCPS
Thirteen Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) seniors have earned full-tuition scholarships through QuestBridge, a national nonprofit that connects high-achieving, low-income students with top colleges and universities.
Mahlet Ayele, a senior at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, is among the recipients. She and her family moved to the U.S. from Ethiopia when she was a child.
“I know that my parents’ main reason for coming here was so my sister and I could get better educational opportunities,” Ayele said. “When I got the scholarship, it felt like I was making my parents proud.” She will attend Northwestern University this fall.
Camila Rivera Gonzalez, a senior at Wheaton High School, also received a QuestBridge scholarship. She will attend Boston College.
“This scholarship provides me the opportunity of attending a prestigious university without having to worry about my financial situation,” Rivera Gonzalez said. “It is truly a blessing.”
More than 25,500 students applied for the QuestBridge National College Match, but only 2,627 secured full scholarships. These students have an average unweighted GPA of 3.94, with 92 percent rank in the top 10 percent of their graduating class. More than 80 percent are the first generation in their families to attend a four-year college in the U.S.
The 13 MCPS students, their high schools and the colleges they will attend are:
- Mahlet Ayele, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, Northwestern University
- Nathan D’Cruze, Richard Montgomery High School, University of Chicago
- Naol Demisse, Springbrook High School, Boston University
- Eugene Im, Poolesville High School, Johns Hopkins University
- Jiaxin Jiang, Poolesville High School, University of Chicago
- Julian Kang, Poolesville High School, Boston College
- Amy Li, Northwest High School, Rice University
- Leah Negash, Montgomery Blair High School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Nicole Osano, Seneca Valley High School, Dartmouth College
- Camila Rivera Gonzalez, Wheaton High School, Boston College
- Efrata Tibebu, Springbrook High School, Denison University
- Maria Yu, Richard Montgomery High School, Duke University
- Alexi Zavala, Richard Montgomery High School, University of Notre Dame
The application process was challenging but rewarding for Eugene Im and Jiaxin Jiang of Poolesville High School.
“Applying to QuestBridge and the Common App at the same time was one of the toughest periods of my life,” Jiang said. “My dad told me it would be the biggest gamble I’d ever take. Looking back, I have no regrets; it truly changed my life.”
Im, who will attend Johns Hopkins University, agreed.
“The process was stressful, but the time and effort were worth it,” he said. “Now, I can look to the future with excitement.”
Photo courtesy MCPS
