URBANA, IL (Chambana Today) – Urbana High School Senior, Jalen Johnson was chosen to earn a full four-year scholarship to Rice University.
Johnson was chosen from over 25-thousand applicants thanks to QuestBridge, a national nonprofit organization that connects high-achieving, low income students with 52 of the nation’s top colleges and universities through its National College Match program. The scholarship covers tuition, room and board, and other costs allowing students to succeed without the financial struggle. Johnson has been attending school in Urbana since kindergarten and started applying to QuestBridge during her junior year.
Her journey has been a hard one with a lot of sacrifice. Through all this, she managed to balance academics, extracurriculars, and currently holds four jobs, including working for the Urbana After-School Program at Leal Elementary. She is Senior Class Senate President and actively participates in National Honor Society, Student Council, and Habitat for Humanity.
Out of these over 25,000 applicants, Johnson managed to be one of 7,288 finalists considered for the QuestBridge National College Match Scholarship.