Thirteen Seniors Win Full-Tuition Scholarships from QuestBridge

Thirteen MCPS seniors from nine high schools received four-year, full-tuition scholarships from QuestBridge, a national nonprofit organization that connects low-income, high-achieving students with more than 50 top colleges and universities. QuestBridge partners with schools to identify and support students who may not apply to leading colleges. The schools provide full scholarships or large financial aid packages covering tuition and fees, room and board, and books and supplies.

See below for the 13 scholarship recipients, including their high school and the college or university they will be attending: 

• Djenabou Bokoum, Paint Branch High School, Rice University
• Nilgun Colak, Seneca Valley High School, Boston College
• Feben Fekadu, Seneca Valley High School, Northwestern University
• Mark Hernandez Blanco, James Hubert Blake High School, University of Chicago
• Sarah Jiatz, Paint Branch High School, Johns Hopkins University
• Amanuel Kebebew, John F. Kennedy High School, Washington University in St. Louis
• Daniel Lee, Poolesville High School, Johns Hopkins University
• Isaac Padilla, Rockville High School, Northwestern University
• Ruby Rojas, Richard Montgomery High School, University of Virginia
• Emilia Souchar, Richard Montgomery High School, Boston College
• Raei Tamiru, Wheaton High School, Duke University
• Rahwa Tesfay, Wheaton High School, Northwestern University
• Stephy Zhang, Rockville High School, Princeton University

Nationally, QuestBridge’s college partners matched with 2,242 finalists. These outstanding high school seniors have an average unweighted GPA of 3.94, and 93% are in the top 10% of their graduating class. More than 80% are among the first generation in their families to attend a four-year college in the U.S.