This fall, Thomas Jefferson High School senior Ayo Solotan was having the same thoughts that most seniors have during their final year of high school – where to go to college and how to pay for it. With an older sister already in college, Ayo knew that financing a post-secondary education was likely going to be up to her. But thanks to her academic and extracurricular accomplishments while at TJ and her school counselor, paying for college is something Ayo doesn’t have to worry about any more.

Ayo has been admitted to Boston College and has been awarded a full, four-year QuestBridge National College Match Scholarship. In the fall of 2025, Ayo will be enrolled at Boston College and majoring in nursing, a profession with family roots. 

Ayo’s school counselor Mr. Michael Kilcoyne first told her about the QuestBridge scholarship during her junior year and then encouraged her to complete the application process when it opened earlier this school year. First, Ayo had to submit information on her academics and activities, submit a writing selection, and forward two teacher recommendations. More than 25,500 students applied for a QuestBridge scholarship this year. From those students, 7,288 were selected as finalists. Ayo was one of 2,627 recipients who matched with QuestBridge’s 52 college partners. This year’s total is the highest number of recipients to date.

Recipients are admitted early to the partner colleges with full four-year scholarships provided by the colleges and universities. The scholarship is made up of a generous financial aid package provided by the partner college that covers the full cost of attendance, including tuition, housing and food, books and supplies, and travel expenses. There are no loans or parental contributions. 

Ayo still has more than a semester left at Thomas Jefferson High School, but she said she is already looking forward to going to Boston and seeing what she can accomplish in a new environment.