Smith-Cotton seniors Michael Cho and Breanna Lefevers-Scott each have been awarded a Questbridge Match scholarship, earning themselves a full ride to one of the nation’s best colleges. 

According to S-C senior counselor Pam Crafton, the Questbridge Match scholarship is a way for academically gifted students to attend the college of their choice without having to worry about financial boundaries. The Match Scholarship covers all costs of attendance, including tuition and fees, student housing, books and other supplies, and travel expenses. 

Cho stated that the application process was a long one. Students first have to write two long essays and three short ones, and give basic academic information such as transcripts and test scores. Questbridge selected 6,000 finalists. Out of those finalists, 1,140 were awarded the scholarship.

There are only two other S-C graduates who have received the Match scholarship: Class of 2014 graduate Keeley Jones, and Cho’s older brother, David, who graduated in 2018. Both graduates used their scholarships at the University of Chicago.

Lefevers-Scott received an email from Questbridge encouraging her to apply for the Match scholarship. She said that it makes her feel like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders knowing that she will not be putting any financial pressure on her mom. She also added that she is extremely grateful for the letters of recommendation she received from engineering teacher Michael Wright and Spanish teacher Andrea Eppenauer; she also appreciated English teacher Ashley Fisher’s help in editing her essay. Lefevers-Scott plans to use her scholarship at Carleton College in Minnesota in the fall. 

Since Cho’s older brother had received the scholarship, his parents encouraged him to apply entering his senior year. Cho said that going into the application process, he did not think he was going to receive the scholarship. 

“When I found out I got it, it was crazy, it was like a dream,” Cho said. He added that he feels proud he was able to follow in his brother’s footsteps and receive a full ride scholarship to a prestigious university. 

“I’ve always felt a lot more inferior to David, and proud I was able to get a full ride scholarship like him,” Cho said.

Crafton said that both applicants did a majority of the work themselves during the application process. 

“I was so impressed with their responsibility and work ethic,” Crafton said. 

Both Cho and Lefervers-Scott agree that they were fortunate to be able to receive such a huge scholarship, and are moving forward in their academic careers with their heads held high.