Guintu will attend Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia beginning in the fall of 2021 on a full scholarship. This is SIS’s second QuestBridge recipient in two years and both have been accepted to Emory University. “Emory University is one of the nation’s top research universities and the #1 ranked pre-med program in the US, which is very interesting to Mac,” said SIS counselor Whit Altizer, adding: “We are very proud that Mac has been accepted into the class of 2025 at Emory. This marks the third year in a row that an SIS graduate has been accepted to Emory. They must like Geckos!”
“All the hard work and effort I’ve struggled through during the 17 years of my life has paid off so well,” commented Guintu. “I’ve never been more excited for my future when I opened the update saying I matched to Emory at 6 in the morning. The days before that were full of anxiousness and sleepless nights, but after the message, it felt as if I were lifted to the moon and the stars and I shared this happiness with my friends who supported me through it all.”
QuestBridge is a national program that connects high-achieving high school seniors from low-income backgrounds with full four-year scholarships to the nation’s top colleges. Out of over 18,500 applicants, QuestBridge selected 6,885 Finalists to be considered for the QuestBridge National College Match Scholarship (Match Scholarship). This year, QuestBridge’s 42 college partners matched with a record number of 1,464 Finalists, who are recognized as Match Scholarship Recipients, 56 of whom were accepted at Emory. In addition to Guintu, SIS had two other finalists, Cindy Kim and Oliver Lee, who will receive free applications from a variety of partner colleges and become are eligible to forward their National Match Application to schools that will accept it for QuestBridge Regular Decision.
“The achievements of our 2020 Match Scholarship Recipients are particularly exceptional in the midst of a year marked by challenging circumstances.” said Ana McCullough, CEO and co-founder of QuestBridge. “The fact that our college partners awarded a record number of scholarships this year bolsters our hope for a brighter, more equitable future.”
Match Scholarship Recipients are admitted early to QuestBridge college partners with full four-year scholarships that are provided by the colleges and universities, ensuring for these students and their families that an education at a top college can be affordable. The Match Scholarship is offered as part of a generous financial aid package provided by the college that covers the full cost of attendance, including tuition, room and board, books and supplies, and travel expenses.
This year’s Match Scholarship Recipients come from 48 states, including the District of Columbia, as well as the territories of Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico.
These outstanding high school seniors have an average unweighted GPA of 3.93, and 94% are in the top 10% of their graduating class. Of the students who reported standardized testing, 82% scored above 1260 on the SAT and 84% scored above 27 on the ACT. Financially, 95% come from a household with an annual income under $65,000, and 87% qualify for free or reduced-price school meals. The majority of these new QuestBridge Scholars — 78% — are among the first generation in their families to attend a four-year college in the United States.
Since 2003, the QuestBridge National College Match has successfully connected over 8,850 students with full scholarships at college partners. These 2020 Match Scholarship Recipients become the first QuestBridge Scholars for the Class of 2025. Based on previous years, it is estimated that over 2,000 Finalists will be admitted to QuestBridge college partners later in the year through Early and Regular Decision processes.
All Finalists who ultimately matriculate to QuestBridge college partners join the QuestBridge Scholars Network, which provides ongoing support and engagement opportunities through campus communities. The QuestBridge Scholars Network and Alumni Association now include over 19,000 current college students and graduates worldwide. By recruiting, developing, and motivating these students — beginning in high school through college to their early career — QuestBridge aims to help talented low-income students attend the nation’s best colleges and to support them to achieve success in their respective careers and communities.
“Mac is an incredible student who has thrived at every challenge that has been put in front of him,” Dr. Ron Snyder, “He is our Student Council President, has represented the CNMI three years in a row at the National MathCourt Championships where he placed 10th one year. He is an AP Scholar with Distinction, a National Merit Scholarship finalist, one of the founding members of the CNMI Model United Nations team and an AP Capstone Diploma Candidate. His independent research on the causations of Internet addiction, grounded in boredom analysis studies, promises to be very interesting. We are very proud of his achievements and wish him well at Emory where we are certain that he can maximize his academic potential.”
