At the beginning of this December, it was announced that Sunnyslope Seniors Asia Martin, Angel Santana Torres, and Mayline Sanchez Torres, all accepted QuestBridge Scholarships Matches.
According to QuestBridge Co-Founder and CEO Ana Rowena Mallari, their mission is to “[connect] high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds with a thriving community and transformative educational, career, and life opportunities”
Additionally, they “[seek] to create a more equitable society where every student can dream big, reach their potential, contribute to the world, and build a life that they love,” said Mallari.
That being said, the scholarship program Mallari founded undoubtedly encompasses all aspects of her goal.
On that note, considering just how prestigious this Scholarship is, Guidance Counselor Chris Pixler was extremely “proud to announce” that “three Questbridge Scholar matches” were seniors that attended Sunnyslope.
And the students she helped apply were just as proud of her.
When interviewed, Santana Torres made sure to voice his gratitude for “Pixler who first encouraged [him] to apply and was there at every step of the way.”
He also later said he was “specifically” thankful for “[AP Language Teacher Sarah] Levine who was always there when I needed a second opinion on how a line in one of my essays sounded, or how my chosen diction affected the tone of my writing” and for “[Calculus Teacher Jason] Coury and [Guidance Counselor Jason] Robertson for their kind words and recommendations.”
Santana Torres also made sure to mention all the wonderful options QuestBridge gives to its students.
He praised “a benefit that often goes unnoticed” and said he appreciates “that you get to apply early to various dream schools meaning [he]… got to build a list [he] was happy with.”
Santana Torres also has some history with the scholarship.
“Four years ago… [his] sister who also attended Slope, pursued Questbridge but was unable to finish the process,” Santana Torres.
He said that “Coming into high school, the idea of the scholarship laid idle in [his] mind until last year, when I was approached by… Pixler regarding the ‘Questbridge College Prep Scholars’ program.”
Regardless, Santana Torres knew from the start “[his] top choice was MIT,” which is where he will be attending next school year.
He remarked that after MIT flew “[him] out to visit their campus for a weekend in October, [he] was sold. From the beauty of Cambridge to the… motivation of everyone [he] encountered… and the world changing ideation [he] saw [forming]… in every action: [he] knew the Institute’s mission, shaping the world with ‘Mens et manus,’ mind and hand, was something [he] had to be a part of.”
Another one of the QuestBridge matches is Martin.
Martin, who will attend Wellesley College in Massachusetts next fall, put “Wellesley on [her] list because of its interdisciplinary studies, great science programs, and cross-registration with MIT.”
She “[thinks] that the [QuestBridge] Match is an amazing opportunity for low-income, first-gen students” and that she “would’ve never dreamed of going to any of the schools on [her] list… due to the cost of attendance. But Questbridge gave [her] the opportunity to reach [her] potential without being financially punished for it.”
Apparently, Martin’s winning application essay turned out to be a joint effort between her and her friends.
In fact, she said “a lot of [her] friends read [her]… essays” while “Pixler, [her] counselor, … [helped]… her while filling [the] application.”
On that note, “[Martin’s] mom was really happy for [her daughter] when she found out [Martin] got into Wellesley. She was really proud.”
The third and final Sunnyslope Senior to secure a QuestBridge Match was Sanchez Torres.
Sanchez Torres, who “didn’t even know what QuestBridge was until the beginning of [her] Junior year,” will attend Brown University because its “dedication to diversity was the point that really made it [her] #1 choice.”
This year, on December 2, she learned that she got the scholarship.
Sanchez Torres remembers being “absolutely shocked when [she] checked her application portal and saw that big ‘Congratulations!’ message” and that with a “pounding” heart she “genuinely could not believe [her] eyes.”
In an amusing fashion, “[She} kept refreshing the page to make sure [she] wasn’t hallucinating… and [she] didn’t even notice that [she] was accepted into Brown until about 3 refreshes in since [she] couldn’t bring [herself] to read the rest of the acceptance letter.”
Sanchez Torres also noted that she actually “didn’t tell [her] parents the… results” had come in until a few days had passed.
But when she did “they were so excited” for her.
“[Her] dad immediately got to planning when [their] family would be taking trips to Rhode Island, and [her] mom was so happy that [Sanchez Torres] was able to get into [her] first choice,” Sanchez Torres recalled.
