Jennifer Gagne Named Among Questbridge Finalists
Jennifer Gagne was one of five college-bound seniors from Bibb County who was declared QuestBridge Finalists. QuestBridge aims to increase the number of talented low-income students attending the nation’s top universities. QuestBridge is a provider of the National College Match program that allows students to apply to their 35 partner colleges and may be admitted with full four-year scholarships to these schools. The students were named QuestBridge Finalists after the National College Match program did not match them to a school. Although the students were denied early acceptance, QuestBridge will continue to help the students gain acceptance and financial aid through the next part of their process: Regular Decision. More than a thousand students are admitted through Regular Decision every year.
Jennifer installing door knob grippers on an elderly neighbor’s home.
Jennifer Gagne, Central High School Jennifer Gagne is president of Central’s Poetry Society and service chair of the school’s National Honor Society chapter. She is also a member of the Beta Club, French Club and Model UN Team, as well as an International Baccalaureate student. Outside of school, she regularly volunteers for Habitat for Humanity, including maintaining a neighborhood website, lynmoreestates.com. She is also an active volunteer at local elementary schools’ science nights. Jennifer is applying to the following QuestBridge partners: Amherst College, Carleton College, Colorado College, Oberlin College, Vassar College and Wesleyan University. She has goals to obtain a bachelor’s degree in English Literature with a concentration in creative writing, as well as a bachelor’s degree in French. “My freshman English teacher told me, ‘I really hope you become a writer one day,’ after I read an original piece in front of the class,” she said. “It made me rethink about going into the medical field.” She developed an interest in French due to the origin of her last name. “I think it is important to know more than one language. I also think it would give me an advantage to possibly work for an international publishing house,” she said. Jennifer’s main goal is to work at a publishing house. She also wants to publish a book and produce a script. Due to her love of poetry, she would like to tour as a spoken word artist. Nine of Jennifer’s poems already have been published. She also majored in communicative arts with a minor in German through the Governor’s Honors Program. In her eighth grade year, she attended the Duke TIP Program for creative writing. “It would mean ultimately not having to worry about financial aid or being in debt in four years,” Jennifer said. “As someone who wants to do something that is not necessarily a stable career I am well-aware that if I do take out loans I could risk having to pay these off for many more years or never pay them off. So, if I receive this scholarship it would mean that I do not have to worry as much about how I am paying for college, if at all. I would be able to have my head on my shoulders and not have to worry if my financial aid is going to fall through next year.”
