On Tuesday, a senior from Austin-East High School was presented with an incredible opportunity: the QuestBridge Match Scholarship. It enables low-income youngsters to attend prestigious universities without having to spend a thing.
Africa’s Tanzania is the birthplace of Angeline Irankunda. She and her family came to the United States when she was two years old. She added that her parents had little at first and had to work very hard to give their kids a better life.
“I got matched with a top school, Emory University, through this program called QuestBridge. It’s a full-ride to a four-year university and I’m so excited,” Irankunda said. “My parents came here like hoping, you know, for a better life and for better education.”
It’s challenging to grow up with financial obstacles. She claimed that because of financial constraints, she was unable to enjoy the same chances and items as her peers when she was younger, despite her desire to blend in.
“I didn’t really get much for Christmas, but, like, I’m glad because Christmas was really the only time I could spend like with my family,” Irankunda said.
Lindsay Davis, an instructor at Austin-East said this scholarship is life-changing.
After working for Knox County Schools since 2009, Davis relocated to Austin-East in 2013. She claimed that in her 11 years, she has never witnessed a student win the scholarship before.
She mentioned that they have a lot of excellent students there who don’t frequently get chances like this.
“[This scholarship] is for high achieving students like Angelina, who maybe just don’t have the means necessary to be successful in college,” Davis stated. “It’s incredible that whole tuition is included. In addition, there are costs for lodging, meals, books, materials, and transportation.”
A news release states that around 21,000 students applied for this very competitive prize. It was only given to around 2,200 students.
One of them is Irankunda, who’s ready for that next step. As Austin-East’s door closes, one is opening at Emory University.
“I’m gonna study child psychology and either become an elementary school teacher, counselor therapist, somewhere along those lines, early education,” Irankunda said. “Dream big because nothing is too big for God, and if I can do it, then so can you.”