TEMPLE, Texas — Temple High School senior Edgar Saldivar is one of just over 2,000 students across the country to receive a full, four-year college scholarship through the 2023 QuestBridge National College Match program. Saldivar will be attending Boston University on a full scholarship beginning in the fall of 2024
Saldivar first learned about the program from his junior-year English teacher, and he was accepted into the QuestBridge College Prep Scholars program last year. This year, he was one of more than 20,800 applicants for the National College Match program and that group was whittled down to 6,683 finalists. Out of those finalists, 2,242 matched with schools to become Match Scholarship Recipients. Saldivar was notified of his match earlier this month and had the special chance to share that moment with his mother.
“My mom strictly told me I had to wait for her to get home before I opened the email,” Saldivar said. “So, we opened it and it said I had matched with Boston University. It was such a feeling of happiness and such a relief that I have this done and won’t have to worry about paying for college. It was really special to have this opportunity and be able to go to college. I will have a chance to fulfill my goals and take some of the strain off of my mother.”
Saldivar is currently ranked in the top ten of his class at Temple High School and participates in the International Baccalaureate program. He also serves as president of the school’s chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), is a member of the National Honor Society, works with the Wildflower literary magazine. Saldivar also competes in UIL science, math, and accounting competitions. He will graduate from THS at age 16 and will be a first-generation college student. He plans to major in mechanical engineering at Boston University and the strength of BU’s program and internship opportunities helped attract him to the school, along with an agreement between the two schools that will also provide him with the opportunity to take some classes at MIT.
“I am super excited for him, and Edgar actually came to me about the program,” said Melanie Camacho-Suarez, Temple High School counselor. “Once he mentioned it to me, I started researching it and helped him a little with his application and a letter of recommendation. I am just so excited for him to get this opportunity.”
The QuestBridge National College Match is a program that connects high-achieving high school seniors from low-income backgrounds with full, four-year scholarships to fifty of the nation’s best colleges. The scholarship covers the full cost of attendance, including tuition, housing and food, books and supplies, and travel expenses.