Two Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts students received full-ride scholarship offers in the 2023 QuestBridge National College Match program.
Senior Xander Napier of Lamar matched with Grinnell College, a small, private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa. Shea Stabila of Pangburn matched with Amherst College, a small, private liberal arts college in Amherst, Mass.
QuestBridge is a nonprofit organization that connects exceptional low-income youth with leading institutions of higher education. QuestBridge works with top universities across the country to offer four-year, full scholarships to deserving students who may otherwise be unable to afford to attend those institutions. The organization partnered this year with 50 colleges and universities to offer scholarships at institutions such as Duke University, Rice University, Stanford University and others.
Students apply for the scholarships through QuestBridge’s free National College Match application. They may list up to 15 of the partner schools at which they would like to be considered for admission.
Match Scholarship recipients are granted early admission to one of QuestBridge's college partners with a full four-year scholarship, worth more than $200,000. The Match Scholarship is offered as part of a generous financial aid package provided by the college that covers the cost of attendance, including tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, and travel expenses. All Match Scholarship packages have no parental contribution or student loans.
Both students said that receiving the scholarship will help them accomplish something they weren’t sure they would be able to do — work towards a college degree while being debt-free.
“For me, receiving a match means all the work I’ve put in for the past towards QuestBridge was not in vain,” Napier said. “I wanted to branch out and go out of state, but due to out-of-state tuition, I felt it wasn’t possible. However, with QuestBridge, it is.
“I have always feared being in debt, and I feel very relieved I won’t have to worry about it for my education. QuestBridge has given me the opportunity to rise above my financial situation, and I fully plan to take advantage of it.”
Stabila echoed some of those sentiments. “As a first-generation college student and a small-town kid, I don’t think many people, including myself, expected me to go far with my education. Receiving a match made it possible for me to go even further than I thought I could without the burden of debt on my shoulders,” she said.
Napier and Stabilia were among six ASMSA students who had been selected as match semifinalists. Students were notified on Dec. 1 by email whether they had received a match, and if so, with what institution. The announcements were scheduled for about 3 p.m. local time that day, meaning it was a full day of anticipation.
“The day of the match, I had spent the afternoon trying to distract myself,” Napier said. “I had switched between multiple games to keep my mind off of it. I was told it would come out around 3, so I was planning to check then.
“However, my friend called me as soon as she got out of class to tell me it was out. I immediately hung up the phone and logged in, and when I saw it, when I started freaking out and jumping around my room since I was alone.”
Napier immediately called her friend back to tell her. “After that, I told everyone I could think of.”
Stabila was more subdued when she found out. She was sitting in her seventh-period Spanish class, checking her email every few minutes. Then the email finally arrived.
“When I finally got the email, I logged in and saw ‘Congratulations, you matched!’ on my screen, and I didn’t even read to see who I matched with,” Stablia said. “When I finally got around to it, Amherst was listed, which was my top choice, and admittedly I was a bit quiet about it. It wasn’t really until the next few days I realized what I accomplished. Then I celebrated.”
She did let her parents know, as they had been waiting eagerly all day to hear the news as well.
Stabila plans to double major in music and either physics or environmental science. Her interests in astrophysics originally led her to participate in the college’s Access to Amherst program, which brings students from all over the country in on one day to visit.
“The people there were incredibly intelligent, the campus was beautiful and they have a brand new observatory I got to view. It all just came together in a neat bow,” Stabila said.
Napier plans to study Japanese and possibly East Asian Studies with plans to become a teacher. Napier participated in an ASMSA trip to Osaka, Japan, in October — the first time being out of the country.
“I had already been inspired to go into language studies by my Japanese teacher, but this trip made me decide I definitely want to become either a Japanese teacher in America or an English teacher in Japan,” Napier said.