Success Story: TVT Student Receives National College Match Scholarship

At The Village Tutors, we are proud of all of our students and the many successes they achieve. We are also thankful for our volunteer opportunities. This month, we are featuring Yanfu, who TVT supported as a part of our partnership with the non-profit Green Halo Scholars. Yanfu consistently goes above and beyond in his studies, and his dedication earned him a prestigious QuestBridge National College Match Scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania. We are honored to showcase his hard work and accomplishments.
 
Green Halo Scholars is a local organization that helps high-achieving, first-generation and/or low-income high school seniors get to and through college. The Village Tutors fully supports the group’s mission, and our tutors often volunteer to assist the scholars. This is where TVT met Yanfu and had the privilege of playing a part in his story.
 
Originally from China, Yanfu began working with TVT last summer to boost his SAT reading and writing score. With a very specific number in mind, Yanfu was focused and resourceful in his quest to attain his goal. His commitment and diligence were off the charts (it was challenging to find SAT practice tests he had not already completed!). And, unsurprisingly, Yanfu scored exactly what he wanted on the SAT.
 
Yanfu continued to carry this work ethic through the college application process, keeping in close contact with his Green Halo mentor. Yanfu applied for the QuestBridge National College Match Scholarship, a highly selective program. Out of the almost 16,500 applicants each year, 6,500 are selected as “finalists.” From that group, only 1,600 are matched with one of the nation’s best universities. The match process includes a four-year, fully funded scholarship that covers tuition, room and board, books, and travel expenses. Yanfu, the first Green Halo Scholar to attend an Ivy League institution, plans to study computer engineering at Penn.
 
As Sara Miller, the program director at Green Halo Scholars, said, “Yanfu takes so much pride in his work and is more organized than any student I’ve ever met. He had spreadsheets upon spreadsheets to organize his college search (and the endless essays that went with it) and arrived at meetings with questions and topics to discuss. He exudes a contagious enthusiasm that helps him make the most of opportunities (or challenges!). His gracious spirit and quick wit are at the top of the list of traits that make him exceptional, too!”
 
As Yanfu finishes his senior year of high school, he continues to be involved as the captain of the Lyons Township VEX Robotics Team and Science Olympiad, a math and science tutor, and a member of the track team.
 
From all of us at The Village Tutors, we thank Yanfu for setting such a wonderful example for his peers and the community. And we look forward to hearing about his continued successes!