How it feels to win $250,000: The Questbridge Scholarship
I dreaded December 1st. I felt sick to my stomach. I didn’t want to be at school. It was the day admission decisions were released from the Ivies. Twelve years of education all coming down to one, single day. I was not confident that I would get in, causing me to have a poor attitude throughout the day.
Luckily, I had a close friend who had completed the application processes with me, Wintana Yohannes. Wintana and I worked our tails off trying to prove to many that low-income students could flourish in big name schools, just like anyone else. Being admitted to a huge liberal arts school would not only make our lives greater, but allow underclassmen a chance to do the same. We wanted to make a difference. We wanted to put La Joya Community High School on the map.
It seemed like every 5 minutes we checked our phones, for any sort of notification. Sharing looks across the classroom of despair and anxiety, it was a rough day. We began discussing what we would do once the decisions came out, and decided to open them together.
As the end of 6th period approached, the decisions were still not out. This was strange, and I could not handle the pain of opening the decisions alone. Then, BOOM. Right at the dot, almost simultaneously releasing with the last bell, the decisions rolled in at 2:00.
We left class together and walk to a corner where we could be alone. As I looked back there was group of students following us, equally interested in our outcomes. Wintana and I looked at each other and clicked the status update.
I did not look at my own update first. But, I did see hers. My eyes widened up as I saw in huge letters, “Congratulations!” My eyes quickly transitioned back to my phone, and it read exactly the same thing!
I ran off, yelling, and shouting for joy! I came back and gave Wintana the biggest hug. We did it. We literally shared over a half a million dollars in scholarships between the two of us. It was a dream come true.
Wintana Yohannes will be attending Williams College in Massachusetts, the top school in the nation. Yes, it is better than the Harvard’s and Yale’s of the world. I will be attending Washington & Lee in Virginia, a top liberal arts college and home to the top political science courses in the country.
Within a day our lives changed. I’d like to feel as if we have also changed the course of La Joya’s academic stature as well.
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