ON T H E M E SA
ELAN HALPERN '16 EARNS QUESTBRIDGE SUPPORT FOR STANFORD Elan Halpern, a senior from New York City, will attend Stanford University on a full scholarship next year. Halpern is a recipient of a 2015 National College Match (“College Match”) through QuestBridge. College Match is a national program that pairs talented high school seniors with some of the country’s top colleges, along with full scholarships. This year, 657 students from 44 states were selected as College Match Scholarship recipients, surpassing last year’s high of 501 recipients. Students selected for the College Match are “matched” to a partner college—admitted with a guaranteed full, four-year scholarship, which includes tuition, room and board, and other expenses. Since 2003, QuestBridge College Match has successfully connected over 3,500 high-achieving, low-income students with full scholarships to participating colleges. These prestigious scholarships are generously provided to recipients by the partner colleges. In September, Elan was one of 13,264 students from across the country who applied to the QuestBridge College Match program, which chose fewer than 5,000 finalists. Finalists were selected based on their academic achievement, financial need, and their identification as strong potential applicants to QuestBridge partner colleges. QuestBridge currently partners with 36 of the most rigorous and selective colleges in the nation, including Emory, Stanford, Williams, Yale, and MIT. “We’re thrilled that both Questbridge and ultimately Stanford recognized Elan’s undeniable pursuit of excellence throughout her time at Cate,” said Director of College 8
CAT E BULLET IN / S P R I N G 2016
Elan Halpern ‘16 will attend Stanford in the fall on a full scholarship with the help of the QuestBridge College Match program.
Counseling Tamar Adegbile. “A prefect in an upper school dorm, a two-time captain of the varsity girls basketball team, a powerful student who has challenged herself with advanced-level classes, and the student representative to department chairs, Elan has demonstrated admirable wisdom and maturity,” Adegbile added. Elan is equally elated and relieved to know of her plans for next year. “I am beyond grateful for this opportunity to attend Stanford next year, and I am truly thankful for my past four years at Cate, which have
provided me not only with the tools necessary to succeed in college, but also with some of the best experiences in my life so far. If it were not for Cate, and all the people who have helped me along the way, I would not be in the position I'm in today.” According to QuestBridge, the caliber of this year’s College Matches is exceptional. In addition to an average unweighted GPA of 3.91, the middle 50% have received between 1890-2140 on the SAT (out of 2400), and between 29-33 on the ACT (out of 36). Academically, 96% rank in the top 10% of their class, including 28% who rank 1st in their class. Financially, their median household income is $30,245, and 84% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The majority of QuestBridge Scholars—75% —are also among the first generation in their families to attend a four-year U.S. college. “It is so exciting to see this great increase in the number of College Match Scholarships this year,” said Ana McCullough, co-Founder and CEO of QuestBridge. “It really demonstrates our partner colleges’ deep commitment to providing opportunity to these deserving students and taking away the financial worry that attending college often presents.”