Rooney Salas, Jennifer Sanmartin, Ayomide Adewole Adekoya, and Sthefany Ayumi Fukagawa
[NEWARK, New Jersey] The Newark Public Schools is proud to announce that five seniors from Science Park High School have received full four-year QuestBridge scholarships to the nation’s best colleges. QuestBridge’s college partners include top liberal arts colleges such as Amherst, Pomona, and Carleton and exceptional research universities such as Duke, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, University of Chicago, and Yale. The Match Scholarship is offered as part of a generous financial aid package provided by each college that covers the full cost of attendance, including tuition, room and board, books and supplies, and travel expenses.
“Our students continue to show the world what we in Newark already know – they are extremely talented and we enjoy sharing their genius with the world. We look forward to the day when they return to the City and pay it forward,” said Superintendent Roger Leόn.
These five outstanding Science Park High School seniors have an average weighted GPA of 4.41 and are in the top 10% of their graduating class. The recipients and their college choices (shown left to right in the photo) are Rooney Salas (Massachusetts Institute of Technology-MIT); Jennifer Sanmartin (Princeton University); Ayomide Adewole Adekoya (Princeton University); Sthefany Ayumi Fukagawa (Pomona College); and, Vivan D Robles-Pinos (Washington University in St Louis). Science Park High School Principal Darleen Gearhart reported, “We are extremely excited about the future of our scholars. This is the first step towards many great things to come.”
Board President Haynes added, “We are so proud of our students and their accomplishments. They are very deserving of this recognition for their hard work.
Science Park High School is a magnet public high school located in the University Heights section of Newark. The school opened in 1974 and serves students in seventh through twelfth grades as part of Newark Public Schools. Science Park High School is ranked 27th in New Jersey. Students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate coursework and exams. The mission of Science Park High School is to offer students a high-quality educational experience. Students are prepared to engage in further study and make lifelong contributions in the STEM fields, with an appreciation for the arts. Science Park High School’s rigorous curriculum is punctuated by college-level coursework which is driven by interdisciplinary study, research, ethical leadership, global perspective, and service.