Life on Himes
Tommy Pham ’18
Named QuestBridge
Scholar
Jesuit High School’s Tommy Pham ’18
is among the fewer than 1,000 high
school seniors nationwide in the Class
of 2018 who have been selected
QuestBridge Scholars, and he will
receive a full four-year scholarship to
the University of Notre Dame.
More than 15,000 exceptional
applicants from the Class of 2018
pursued the prestigious honor.
“Tommy truly personifi es our Jesuit
mission,” said Fernando Rodrigues,
Jesuit’s Director of College Counseling.
“He does not look for accolades,
nor does he wait until he is directed to
know what is right. He is simultaneously
one of the most motivated students
I have seen and one of the most
considerate and thoughtful.
“Attending Notre Dame through
QuestBridge will allow him to continue
to inspire those around him.”
Founded at Stanford University
and expanded over the last 15 years to
now include 39 of the most selective
colleges and universities in the nation,
QuestBridge provides a college match
and full scholarships to exceptional
students from lower-income backgrounds.
“I’m very blessed to have received
the scholarship,” Pham said. “It will
not only fund the next four years of
my college education, but it will also
open many pathways and opportunities
for me in college.”
The program matches top students
with acclaimed universities such
as Chicago, Dartmouth, Duke, MIT,
Northwestern, Notre Dame, Penn,
Princeton, Vanderbilt, Virginia, and Yale.
“Earning the QuestBridge scholarship
revealed to me that no matter
what circumstances people are born
with, it is always possible to attain
success if you put your heart, mind,
and soul into all that you do,” Pham
said. “Despite fi nancial obstacles, I
developed an intrinsic drive to grow as
a student and as an individual, along
with a passion for helping those who
face similar obstacles.”
Pham had a stellar junior year
academically, earning First Honors (the
highest average in the class) in two of
his courses during the spring semester:
AP Seminar (which is the fi rst year of
the AP Capstone program) with Mr.
Austin Freeman, and Christian Morality
with Mr. Chris Ragusa.
Rare honor will
provide Pham with
a 4-year scholarship
to Notre Dame
He earned Second Honors this past
spring in two additional classes: AP
Calculus AB with Mr. Corey Perich, and
Spanish 3 Honors with Mr. Juan Cruz.
Pham is one of 14 Jesuit students in
his class to test in the 99th percentile
on the PSAT. He also is an altar server,
NHS tutor, and member of SADD,
Peer Ministry, Key Club, and the
Pro-Life Club.
Last summer, Pham participated in
Boys State in Tallahassee and served at
the week-long MDA Camp in Brandon,
and the summer before he traveled to
Jasper, Ga. as part of Jesuit’s annual
Appalachia Mission Trip in service to
that community.
The QuestBridge application process
is extensive. The 15,000 applicants
are narrowed down to about 3,000
fi nalists, who then submit additional
supplements to six colleges. In the end,
Pham was one of 918 nationwide
chosen for the honor.
“Although my test scores and overall
academic record defi nitely contributed
to my application, I believe that my
inherent motivation for service and a
higher education led to my selection in
the matching process,” Pham said.
8 JESUIT PERSPECTIVES • WINTER 2017-18