Temple HS Senior Earns Full Scholarship to Columbia University

TEMPLE, Texas — Temple High School senior Alajzha President is one of just over 2,600 students across the country to receive a full, four-year college scholarship through the 2024 QuestBridge National College Match program. President will be attending Columbia University on a full scholarship beginning in the fall of 2025.

President first heard about the program through an email from her English III teacher, and learned more after Temple High School’s Edgar Saldivar won a full scholarship to Boston University through the QuestBridge Match program last year. That sparked her interest and she decided to apply. This year, she was one of more than 25,500 applicants for the National College Match program and that group was whittled down to 7,288 finalists. Out of those finalists, 2,627 matched with schools to become Match Scholarship Recipients. President was notified of her match the first week in December through an email she opened prior to the start of one of her favorite classes.

“I had gotten to theatre and read the email with the results, and I just ran out screaming, so the first person I got to tell was my theatre teacher (Kayla Stewart),” President said. “It means a lot to me because now I have the opportunity to focus on my studies and my career without the stress of worrying about the money and the impact on my family. It lets me focus on being a better person and student. Columbia was my top ranked school and is one of the top five film schools in the country, so it is a wonderful opportunity for me.”

President is currently ranked in the top ten of her class at Temple High School and participates in the International Baccalaureate program. She is also active in the THS Theatre Arts program and her short film recently qualified for national competition through the Texas Thespians State Contest. President also founded a film club at Temple High School and works with the Wildflower literary magazine. She serves as vice-president of Temple HS’s National Honor Society and is also a member of the Interact Club. President plans to major in film at Columbia University and her dream is to become a film director or work at a major production company. The application process included the submission of three essays and academic and financial information. President also submitted a short film as part of her application.

“I have seen Alajzha grow in leadership and as a friend, she is always so positive and uplifting, so I’ve seen that on the personal side with her character,” said Kaleigh Verett, a teacher in the IB program at Temple High School, and one of the teachers who helped President with the application process. “I see how much and how hard she has worked, and she is so deserving, so we are overwhelmingly proud of her. This is a life-changing opportunity for her and to see her persevere through a really difficult program and then see this as a payoff makes everything worth it for her and for me as a teacher, as well. She has the opportunity to go beyond anything we could have even imagined for her, and the sky is the limit for her right now. All of us are just so proud of her and so happy for her.”

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 52 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. Since 2003, the QuestBridge National College Match has successfully connected over 17,000 students with full scholarships at college partners.