Senior matches to first-choice college through QuestBridge

After learning that she matched to her first choice college through the QuestBridge National College Match program, Kodie Garza called her mother and shared the good news with her.

“Telling her I matched with my first choice was the most memorable part of that day for me because getting matched meant she no longer had to worry about what I was going to do for college,” said Garza, a senior from Ringgold at tLSMSA. “Plus, I knew the news meant a lot to her given that I would be a first-generation college student.”

Garza is one of 767 exceptional students who has been selected as a college match scholarship recipient through QuestBridge. She was matched to a partner college and admitted with a guaranteed full, four-year scholarship, including tuition, room and board and other expenses. QuestBridge received a record-high of 14,491 applications and chose 5,338 as finalists. The national college match program pairs high-achieving, low-income high school seniors with full scholarships to the nation’s top colleges.

“I chose to apply for the Questbridge scholarship because I knew given my financial circumstances that the likelihood of me going to a top-tier college for undergraduate was very slim,” said Garza.

She did not feel really invested in any of the Louisiana state colleges, so she branched out more and explored all of the possibilities available to her after LSMSA.

“I saw QuestBridge as a way to successfully progress to the next stage of my academic career,” she added.

Garza will attend Bowdoin College.

“I chose to attend Bowdoin College because I knew Bowdoin would offer me a truly unique college experience and would successfully prepare me for the next step of my academic career,” she said.

She also appreciates the fact that its close proximity to Boston allows for many internship opportunities and that its community and academic environment heavily promotes student growth and development.

Garza plans to study biochemistry and studio arts.

“I acquired a deep fascination for biology and chemistry while learning both subjects at LSMSA and decided that studying how the two intersect each other would be something I am interested in,” she said. “I have been dedicated to visual arts since I could first properly hold a pencil, which is when I started drawing as well. I intend to continue indulging in my passion while attending Bowdoin.”

Being a student at LSMSA has prepared Garza to be a college student.

“I believe LSMSA has taught me the independence I will need to succeed in a college setting,” she said. “I have learned the importance of humility. Humility is often an underappreciated virtue, but I assure you it goes a long way, especially in an academic setting.”

In 10 years, Garza predicts that she will be in the process of completing her residency in internal medicine.

“I hope to become a cardiologist, which is the main reason why I tried to limit the amount of debt I would accumulate while completing my undergraduate studies.”