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It was a long, nervous wait to find out if it would happen, but when he finally got the confirmation, Shane Del Toro could not have been happier.
The Moffat County senior learned recently that he was the recipient of the QuestBridge Scholarship, worth over $350,000 to Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, a four-year, full-ride scholarship covering tuition, books, room and board and travel.
“This is an incredible scholarship and opportunity,” said MCHS teacher Sharon Skwarek, who aided him in the application process. “He won against 16,000 applications and was one of two chosen by Swarthmore.”
Del Toro first began applying for QuestBridge his junior year with the encouragement of Skwarek, who has seen several former pupils win the prestigious scholarship in years past.
He noted that enrolling in the program made him focus more on his plans after high school.
“I was pretty set on going to college, but I didn’t really know where until QuestBridge. It helped me be able to really strive for more,” he said. “I probably would have stayed more local if not for that.”
The toughest part were the essays intended to help him stand out.
“It was mainly talking about my character and personality and what makes me different and stand out,” Del Toro said. “I mostly focused on my musical interests and my hobbies.”
Del Toro plays the clarinet for the MCHS ensemble, as well as being an Honor Band participant.
Moffat County band instructor Lia Arnold was quick to sing his praises as a pupil.
“Shane is a once-in-a-lifetime student, and I’m so fortunate to call him one of my students. I’ll remember him the rest of my career as such an outstanding person,” Arnold said.
While he is considering a minor in music at Swarthmore, he will likely major in another field.
“I want to be a psychologist or therapist and really try to help people. Mental health is only getting worse and it’s a big deal,” he said.
Del Toro added that “listening and getting involved” are goals as he moves on to a new school and a wholly different part of the country.
“It will be a big change, bigger city, bigger area. It will be a lot. I want to connect with some people now,” he said. “There’s a group chat for Questbridge, so I’ve been part of that.”
He said his family is looking forward to the new phase of life.
“I think they’re nervous about me leaving and going so far, but they’re definitely excited for the opportunity,” Del Toro said. “It was very exciting, a lot of work. I really didn’t expect to get it, but I’m so glad I was able to achieve it.”
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