REDDING, California – A Redding high school student has been awarded a scholarship to Stanford University through the nonprofit QuestBridge scholarship program.
Amira Hutcherson, a senior at Shasta High School, is headed to Palo Alto next fall after receiving a full four-year scholarship from QuestBridge.
The way it works is that students apply to the National College Match, a college admissions and scholarship process that allows high-achieving, low-income students to be admitted early with full four-year scholarships. They then receive a special college application, submitted through QuestBridge to the nation’s top schools, which they rank themselves and which is read by college admissions officers.
Based on the application, QuestBridge’s college partners decide whether to admit you and offer you a full four-year Match Scholarship. A student who is matched will be admitted to one of the partner colleges on their ranking list with the full four-year scholarship.
Amira was one of those selected as a finalist, and Stanford was the highest ranked school on her list to accept her.
“As a low-income, first-generation student, I assumed for a long time that this wasn’t really going to happen for me. I assumed that I would just go to Chico State or somewhere close that would be really easy,” Hutcherson said. “It’s a big deal for my family because we were always worried about the finances and I was already getting ready to settle down. So to know that I can still achieve my dreams and my hopes is a pretty big deal and it’s very important.
Hutcherson is also a cancer survivor. She says her battle has given her the drive and motivation she needs to pursue such achievements. She also credits her strong work ethic in the classroom with helping her win a scholarship to a prestigious school like Stanford. As well as her family, friends and teachers throughout her school career.
