McAllen students earn prestigious scholarship

MCALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A group of students from McAllen have been recognized by the school district for earning a prestigious scholarship by QuestBridge.

The McAllen Independent School District is recognizing the following students:

• Gerardo Villarreal, McAllen High School
• Grace Sihn, McAllen High School
• Eduardo Cavazos, Achieve Early College High School
• Fernando Guerrero, McAllen Memorial High School

The QuestBridge scholarship is a non-profit organization that connects high-achieving, low-income students with educational opportunities at partner colleges and universities.

Nearly 21,000 applicants nationwide applied for the scholarship.

Approximately 6,683 applicants were selected to become National College Match Finalists.

From there, only a portion of the 6,683 applicants are matched with a college partner to receive a full-ride scholarship.

The scholarship includes full tuition, housing, food, books, supplies and travel expenses.

"This recent achievement can be credited to the combined efforts of, not only my will and character, but also the support from my counselors, faculty, teachers, peers and parents," said Gerardo Villarreal, QuestBridge Scholar. "I am eternally grateful for the opportunities McAllen ISD has given me."