MSMS seniors Maple Griffin and Victoria West were selected as finalists in the QuestBridge scholarship program. Of 20,800 applicants, 6,683 students across the nation were selected as National College Match Finalists.

QuestBridge describes themselves as a “national nonprofit that connects the nation’s most exceptional, low-income youth with leading colleges and opportunities. By working with these students … QuestBridge aims to increase the percentage of talented, low-income students attending the nation’s best colleges.”

QuestBridge’s National College Match allows students to rank up to 12 colleges through a binding system. If a student is matched with a college, the scholarship covers the full cost of attendance, including tuition, room and board and travel expenses.

In 2022, with more than 17,900 initial applicants, QuestBridge selected 5,613 finalists and matched 1,755 to receive full scholarships to their preferred schools, meaning the finalists had a 31% chance to be matched with a college.

MSMS counselor Heath Stevens said QuestBridge is a great program for high-achieving, low-income students.

“[QuestBridge] is for students who aren’t exactly sure where they want to go to college,” Stevens said. “[Questbridge] has more than 50 partner colleges, and they’re all great schools. If you get matched, you’re going to college for free. [While] a lot of other people are still finishing up their applications, you know where you’re going, and you can have a little peace of mind about that.

“We are very excited about [Griffin and West] making it to the finalist stage and hopefully they’ll [get] matched,” Stevens added. “We’ll find out in little over a month.”

Griffin said she is very grateful to be a finalist.

“Going to college would have been a struggle for me otherwise, and this opportunity provides an avenue for me to pursue an education beyond high school I otherwise might not have been able to pursue without QuestBridge,” Griffin said. “I don’t wish to disclose where I applied yet, but I listed mostly liberal arts colleges up north.”

West said she was shocked when she learned she was a finalist.

“[I] really didn’t expect to get finalist at all,” West said. “I also don’t want to say which colleges are on my list, but I also mostly put small, liberal arts colleges. [QuestBridge] provides clarity that I will make it to college, and I won’t have to worry about financial aid like I always thought I would.”