Two Seniors Named QuestBridge Scholars

The streak continues. For the fifth consecutive year, St. Benedict’s Prep seniors attained one of the most sought-after scholarships in the country through the QuestBridge National College Match, a program matching high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds with 55 top colleges and universities. Kayani Jegatheeswaran ’26 and Sebastian Tenorio ’26 matched with Smith College and the University of Pennsylvania, respectively. They are among the 2,550 QuestBridge Scholars named this year, selected from a pool of more than 25,000 applicants nationwide. Intended to remove all financial barriers, the scholarship covers the full cost of attendance, including tuition, housing, food, books, supplies and travel expenses.

In 2021, Kayani and Sebastian were Middle Division students when they witnessed four seniors from the Girls and Boys Prep Divisions become QuestBridge Scholars. It planted a seed that both worked hard to pursue. “I made it part of my future plans,” said Sebastian, who took dual enrollment courses at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, serves as a Fr. Mark Payne Institute Fellow and is a National Honor Society member.

Kayani, who completed coursework at NJIT, is a longtime member of Drama Guild and helped start the School’s medical team, The Hive Saves Lives. A resident of Newark, she is the first member of the Girls Prep Division to attain the scholarship in five years and wants the young women behind her to recognize, “They can do things that feel impossible. I didn’t think I would ever get this scholarship, and I did.”

Kayani plans to study neuroscience at Smith and attend medical school to become a psychiatrist. “Smith offered community and support,” which made her happy about the match. Kayani was also drawn to the college’s commitment to providing international experiences to pre-med majors while keeping them on track with rigorous course requirements.

Sebastian, who lives in Kearny, is excited to major in business at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He believes there’s a reason St. Benedict’s students have consistently attained the scholarship over the past five years. “I think Benedict’s instills leadership onto us. It makes us more independent, so we can seek out these amazing opportunities and take ownership of them.” His advice to younger Gray Bees is, “Try your absolute best. Put yourself in situations that bring out the best in you, situations where you can overcome adversity. Those lessons are the ones you’ll bring to your future.”