DHS Student Accepted to QuestBridge College Prep Scholars Program

Dysart High School Junior Mauricio Martinez-Hernandez was recently accepted into the QuestBridge College Prep Scholars Program. Mauricio is one of only 3,800 high school students accepted into the program for displaying high academic achievement and his personal character.

Founded in 1994, QuestBridge seeks to connect high-achieving students with top colleges and universities across the country. Questbridge has over 50 college partners nationwide committed to providing high-quality education at no cost to National College Match recipients.

Through the College Prep Scholars program, Mauricio will visit one of Questbridge’s 55 partner colleges for a full university campus experience. The scholarship covers the full cost of travel, tuition, housing, meals, and supplies. In addition to the fully funded college experience, Mauricio received $1,000 for a new laptop and now has access to Questbridge's College Prep network. Being accepted in the College Prep Scholars program also grants Mauricio a unique advantage when applying for QuestBridge’s National Match Program, which offers a full four-year scholarship worth over $325,000.

Mauricio, who has been looking into colleges since the 8th grade, first learned about the QuestBridge College Prep Program from his Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Program teacher, Alesha Wisbey. Mauricio credits his fellow classmate, who is also in AVID, for motivating him to apply for the program.

“One of my friends was applying for it,” he said “We've always been kind of competing, because we have similar test scores, similar everything. I didn't think I could do it, [but] he just told me to go for it.”

As of now, Mauricio says he is unsure which school he will visit this summer, but says he hopes to visit Stanford or Rice University. Mauricio plans to attend college for engineering or architecture when he graduates.