The first day of December brought important news to five MSMS students. Sara Conwell, Sasha Edwards, Elle McKenzie, Gregory Thompson and Isaiah Williams were each matched to a college through the QuestBridge National College Match Program. The purpose of QuestBridge is to give high-achieving, low-income students a chance to attend college of their choice. These five students have been provided full four-year scholarships to attend their respective matched college.

Gregory Thompson, who has been matched to Vanderbilt University, said “QuestBridge is a great opportunity for low-income students because it gives them the chance to consider the more expensive, elite colleges in the nation without the stress of tuition hanging over their heads.”

Thompson continued, “I chose Vanderbilt because it’s only three hours from my house, which significantly decreases the cost of transportation. They also have a great Naval ROTC Program and I love the diversity of Nashville, especially in the music aspect. Its liberal arts education also really suits my needs. And the cafeteria is awesome!”

Thompson was matched to his first choice college. “I am very satisfied with my college match. When I found out I was matched, I was really relieved because I didn’t have to worry about paying for college or applying for scholarships.”

Sasha Edwards, who has been matched to Washington and Lee University said, “I think the QuestBridge program is a bridge between low income students and selective liberal arts schools. I decided to apply because I knew I wanted to go to a small, selective school with like-minded people, like MSMS, but I knew I didn’t have the means.”

Edwards was also matched to her first choice college. “I chose Washington and Lee because the similarities between Lexington and Columbus, the friendliness of the people, and the close-knit community are what I was looking for in a home away from home.”

“When I found out about my match, I screamed and almost broke my $2,000 clarinet.” Edwards laughed about her reaction. “It was a lot of work, but I knew the reward was worth it.”

Isaiah Williams, who has been matched to Stanford University, said he “saw the opportunity to make the next four years of my life financially easier, so I took it.

“The moment my father was incarcerated, I wanted to break the vicious chains of uneducation that ran in my family’s blood. So from that point on, I was determined to make something of my life, and though Stanford I can do this.”

Elle McKenzie, who has been matched to Vassar College, said, “I feel that the Questbridge program is a good opportunity for students. Even with little knowledge of what college I wanted to go to, I was introduced to more varieties of schools.

“When first researching the colleges, I was looking for a closer community. Then I looked at the location of the school because I wanted to go to school in the North. Vassar looked cool, so I decided to add it to my list,” McKenzie said.