Thanks to her work ethic and applying, and receiving, the QuestBridge scholarship, senior Lilian Lopez was accepted to Stanford University on a full-ride scholarship. “I would tell people interested in this program to start early and be able to connect different aspects of themselves in the application,” Lopez said.

Having to pay for college in the near future may be a stressful thought for many high school students. But for senior Lilian Lopez, this is not something that has to cross her mind thanks to the QuestBridge scholarship. 

 This unique scholarship is one of a kind as it targets low-income students aspiring for college. There are two versions of this scholarship; the junior one which gives opportunities and awards to help prepare for the national college match and college applications in general. While the senior version matches students with their dream 4-year colleges providing them with a free ride. 

Students are able to rank up to 15 schools on their application based on preference. When accepted to the school ranked highest on their list, it becomes the one they are committed to. The junior process of this scholarship isn’t a requirement if students are only looking to complete the senior one; but it is highly recommended, as it gives students a boost in their application. “Originally, I had ranked Stanford lower as I didn’t want to stay close, but after thinking about it more and especially after visiting the campus in person, I was able to see a glimpse of what it would be like if I went.” Lopez said. 

Lopez’s dream school was Stanford, where only 65-90 students annually secure a spot through this scholarship. Last year, valedictorian Marco Nunez also landed a spot at Stanford via the QuestBridge scholarship. Lopez found out about this scholarship through her friend Alexander Ledesma and immediately got started on it considering the benefits of it. “Marco gave a presentation on the Senior program and in addition to the convention I had already gone to, I knew it would be beneficial to my family if I was able to get the scholarship,” Lopez said, “I wasn’t confident I would get it, but I wanted to give it a shot anyway.”

To be a more competitive candidate, there are many requirements that must be met. This is no different than when applying to college, except with the possibility of getting in with the scholarship being slimmer. Lopez met all of Stanford’s requirements, which helped her achieve her goal. “I made sure to start early and connect different perspectives of myself in the application and recommend others interested to do so as well,” Lopez said.

One of the requirements of this scholarship is to get two letters of recommendations from her teachers.  Lopez trusted her old math teacher, Mr. Ledesma, to write a letter of recommendation for her. “I chose Ledesma because he’s pretty familiar with my work ethic while I was in his math classes and he was also able to recognize my way of learning/thinking,” Lopez said. 

Her second choice was her English/Yearbook teacher, Mr. Battaglini. “I chose Mr. Battaglini because I managed most of his English class pretty well, plus I also had him for two periods last year and Yearbook again this year,” Lopez said. “He was also pretty familiar with my work ethic and personality, so I knew and trusted that he would write a good letter.”  

Her journey was not a simple one; she doubted herself many times but never backed down from this challenge. Especially with knowing what the end goal may be. “When I found out I was a finalist, I thought that was as far as I was gonna make it and I was sure that I wasn’t getting into any of the schools,” Lopez said. On December 2nd she got the good news that she matched with Stanford and she was more than shocked. “I cried after opening it and was in shock,” Lopez said.“ It didn’t hit me until later in the afternoon.”

Through the process of this scholarship, she received help from the workshop they offer and emotional help from her mother and sister who were constantly there for her from the start to the end of this process. “My mom and sister were there when I got the news and we all cried after seeing I got accepted,” Lopez said 

Lopez was originally set on majoring in pre-med, but settled for biology instead as Stanford did not offer a major in pre-med. With this major, she plans on pursuing a career in cardiology. “My dad had a heart condition when I was small and remembering all the times he went to the hospital made me want to pursue a career in that field,” Lopez said.                                                                       

Now with the scholarship in her grasp she won’t have to worry about the financial cost of college nor will she have to worry about the thought of where to go after high school. Lopez is already set on going to Stanford. “I think with this scholarship it’ll be able to take a lot of weight off my family’s shoulders,” Lopez said. “Especially because my sister is applying to college next year.” She also plans on encouraging her sister to apply through QuestBridge.