Front row, from left, Julia Taitano, Prapti Mondal, Jia Nicdao, Jenny Zhang, Jenaya Cheng. Back row, from left, Zhalick Hane, Kyle Moon, Jhaylin Cruz, Lucy Chen, Kelly Zheng, and Yeijin Son.
Hannah Lim
Zhimin Jin
(PSS) — Marianas High School is honored to announce its Class of 2025 QuestBridge scholars.
QuestBridge connects high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds with a thriving community and transformative educational, career, and life opportunities that help propel them to lives of fulfillment, meaning, and purpose. It seeks 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.
In a competition where only 10% of total applicants nationwide match with a school, 42% of MHS’ applicants found a QuestBridge match.
In an area where 29% of applicants were selected as finalists, 58% of MHS applicants were selected as finalists.
In an area where 36% of finalists were matched to schools, 72% of MHS finalists matched.
QuestBridge continues a long tradition of placing multiple MHS students across a prestigious academic landscape.
MHS QuestBridge scholars cross the nation, from the rocky coasts of frigid Maine to the sandy shores of sunny California with stops across the land.
Jhaylin Cruz will attend Colby College, one of the nation’s premier liberal arts colleges, located in Waterville, Maine. Jhaylin, a first-place winner of the Northern Marianas Humanities Council essay contest and avid marathon paddler, plans to major in Liberal Arts, with the Social Sciences and Neuroscience prominent on his interests list.
Prapti Mondal will be following Jhaylin Cruz to Maine. Prapti matched to and will attend Bowdoin College, where she plans on majoring in Government and Legal Studies/Political Science. A four-year Mock Trial competitor who won state championships and a veteran member of the varsity badminton team, Prapti will be the fifth MHS graduate to attend the school, which has admitted only 7% of applicants in the last five years.
Zhalick Hane got matched to Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts, where he plans on majoring in Data Analytics/Data Science and enjoying the cold and snowy New England weather. An AP Scholar, Zhalick will be joined in Boston by several other future MHS graduates who were matched to schools in the area.
Three were matched to Boston College in nearby Newton, Massachusetts, and one to Tufts University in the suburb of Medford.
Hannah Lim is among the trio who will attend Boston College. She plans to enroll in the Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences and examine majors in Political Science or English. An AP Scholar with Distinction, among her high school highlights was helping lead the MHS Mock Trial team to the nationals and the MHS Dolphin Concert Band to the Tumon Bay Music Festival.
Jenny Zhang will head to Boston College and will also join the Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences, where she plans to major in biology. An AP Scholar and Moot Court competitor, Jenny’s internship at CHCC allowed her to engage firsthand in the medical field and to appreciate the logistical nuances behind hospital operations and patient care. She looks forward to bitter New England winters.
Zhimin Jin completes the Boston College trio, joining Hannah and Jenny at the prestigious institution, a Jesuit University rooted in a worldview that calls students to learn, search for truth, and live in service to others. Zhimin, a CNMI Female Athlete of the Year and gold medalist at the Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games, plans to major in Psychology at the Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences and anticipates playing NCAA Division I golf.
Jia Ross Nicdao will attend Tufts University. Availing herself of Tufts’s prestigious Fletcher School of Diplomacy, the AP Scholar with Distinction plans to double major in International Relations and Economics, taking a pre-law track. Representing MHS has been the highlight of her high school career, from National Mock Trial Competitions to her upcoming Moot Court Competition at Yale, and as a senator in the 19th Youth Congress.
Kyle Moon matched with Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, where he plans to major in social science. Becoming a QuestBridge College Prep Scholar during his junior year motivated him to keep working hard toward his college goals, and his hard work paid off. “QuestBridge gave me the chance to dream bigger and believe in myself,” Moon said. “It showed me that opportunities are out there, no matter where you come from, as long as you work hard and stay determined.”
Yejin Son continues MHS’ march down the East Coast, now entering the Ivy League powerhouse, the University of Pennsylvania. She plans to major in economics and minor in finance at Penn’s Wharton School. Another CNMI Moot Court competitor and AP scholar, Yejin will be the third MHS graduate to attend the University of Pennsylvania in as many recent years.
Si Jin (Jenaya) Cheng will carry her memories of MHS to the deep South, where she will attend Duke University. (Go Blue Devils!) An AP Scholar with Honors, she plans to major in engineering, either civil or environmental, while she explores other options for a second major. Her high school highlights include her directorial work in school theatrical productions, particularly last year’s off-Broadway presentation of “Clue.”
Julia Taitano matched to and will attend Macalester College, a vibrant urban liberal arts college in the heart of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, where she plans to major in International Relations and take advantage of Macalester’s extensive study abroad program, the oldest, broadest, and deepest International Studies program of any private liberal arts college in the world. Julia’s high school highlights include overcoming her fear of public speaking by competing and winning Moot Court championships and performing with her bandmates in the MHS Dolphin Concert Band.
Yu Xin (Lucy) Chen will trade the warmth of Saipan for the true cold of Minnesota as she will attend Carleton College, 45 minutes south of St. Paul in Northfield, Minnesota. An AP Scholar, Lucy plans to major in the sciences and will choose among Biology, Chemistry, and Biochemistry for a STEM-based course of study. She will also take advantage of Carleton’s expansive arboretum, which has 15 miles of trails across 800 acres of land used for recreation, classes, and research.
Kelly Zheng rounds out the MHS group of QuestBridge scholars for this academic season by accepting a match at California’s Stanford University, where she plans to major in Computer Science or Business. An AP Scholar and an awardee of the QuestBridge Quest for Excellence USA, Kelly is proud of the work she did with the National NSDA Competition, National Mock Trial Competitions, and the National 4-H TLEI Conference.
Marianas High School’s leadership, counselors, and faculty are proud of the success of their QuestBridge scholars and look forward to witnessing their future endeavors and accomplishments.
As MHS Principal Melanie Rdiall stated, “We provide them with the fuel, and they spark the fires that light their journeys forward. Wherever their destiny leads them to or whatever capacity they fill, they will forever be in our hearts and minds as they will carry the best of MHS.”
