Two high-achieving, high school seniors from low-income households in Marion County have just earned full scholarships to separate, prestigious Ivy League institutions.
Jonathan Ancrum, from Belleview High School, and James Beauregard, from Vanguard High School, both recently earned full-ride scholarships from QuestBridge, a nonprofit organization that provides opportunities to low-income students to attend institutions free of charge.
Ancrum earned his full-ride scholarship to Dartmouth University, while Beauregard earned his to the University of Pennsylvania. Both Dartmouth and UPenn are members of the Ivy League, which is recognized the most prestigious and highly selective set of universities in the United States.
Ancrum has been an officer for multiple organizations at his high school, including the vice president of the school’s National Honors Society chapter. In addition to being gifted academically, the high school senior also ran as a long distance runner on the school’s varsity track and field team, competing in state-level cross-country competitions. Ancrum was also on the soccer team this year.
Furthermore, the student was part of the Belleview Academic Team that won in their District for the first time in Belleview history, earning second place in the regional competition. Ancrum’s stellar GPA also ranks second in his class of nearly 500 students.
Beauregard has a passion for research and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), according to his LinkedIn profile. He holds officer positions in multiple clubs and organizations, including his school’s chemistry club, the Health Occupation Students of America, and the school’s dance marathon committee.
Outside of academics, Beauregard is a first degree black belt in Taekwondo and a past state champion. He plays piano at various events and writes his own music. The high school senior plans to pursue a career in medicine.
Ancrum and Beauregard join a constantly-growing list of students who have made Marion County. That list includes five high school students nominated for National Merit Scholarships this year, and fellow QuestBridge scholars/alumni like Esperance J. Han.
QuestBridge was founded in 1994 to help high-achieving students in low-income households by providing direct access to dozens of top-level universities. Its National College Match program allows students to be considered for early admission and full, four-year scholarships among 55 college partners of QuestBridge.
Over 20,000 individuals have passed through its match program, which requires attendees to earn primarily A’s in the most “challenging courses offered.” The households from where the students come must earn less than $65,000 annually.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was updated to include additional details highlighting the students’ accomplishments.