Berkmar Seniors Earn QuestBridge Scholarships

Six Berkmar High School seniors recently learned that they will receive QuestBridge scholarships to pay for their entire college education.

The students were selected as 2013 QuestBridge National College Match Recipients, and will attend op universities across the nation, according to a Gwinnett County Public Schools press release.

The Berkmar High students and the colleges they plan to attend are:

• Adila Abdulwahid, who plans to plans to be a pre-medicine student, will attend the University of Chicago.

• Oscar Chavarria, who plans to major in law and English, will attend Bowdoin College.

• Anthony Downer, who plans to study law and political science, will attend the University of Chicago.

• Lizbeth Peña, who plans to study engineering, will attend Columbia University.

• Anayelly Medina, who plans to study medicine, will attend Emory University.

• Allyson Pel, plans to study pre-medicine, will attend Davidson College.

While in the ninth grade, the six students began the application process for the QuestBridge scholarship under the guidance of Berkmar High advanced placement teacher Joni Jameson.

There were three Berkmar High Questbridge winners last school year, using Jameson's program and support.

QuestBridge is a nonprofit organization that links high-achieving, low-income students to some of the nation’s most selective colleges. The organization partners with colleges that offer generous financial aid packages that cover 100 percent of demonstrated financial need.

Each year, thousands of high school seniors from across the nation apply to QuestBridge’s National College Match program. The organization matches the students with its partner colleges, 33 of the nation’s premier universities. Other postsecondary partners include Brown University, Emory University, MIT, and Yale University.