Westerville City Schools
Chavez plans to study political science on a pre-law track; Pedro, computer science; and Omoniyi, pre-law.
After years of striving toward academic excellence and contributing to their communities, three Westerville South High School seniors have earned full, four-year scholarships to attend university.
Mark Chavez, who will attend Yale University; Akeelah Omoniyi, who will attend Northwestern University; and Sami Pedro, who will attend Stanford University, are among QuestBridge’s 2025 cohort of Match Scholarship Recipients.
Questbridge is a national non-profit organization that endeavors to support accomplished high school students pursue a fulfilling future by making educational, career and life-enhancing opportunities more accessible. Chavez, Omoniyi and Pedro are three out of several thousand applicants selected to receive this scholarship and matched with esteemed universities.
Westerville City Schools
Mark Chavez
Built on belonging
When reflecting on their time at Westerville South High School, all of the students shared one thing in common: their involvement in the International Culture Club.
“(I was) struggling to connect… because I was in a new environment and not having many experiences to fall back on,” says Omoniyi.
She spent her middle school years with her family in Nigeria and returned to the U.S. at the start of her high school career. Though the transition was difficult, Omoniyi says that the International Culture Club provided her a space to interact with a diverse group of people and become involved with community-based practices.
Chavez shares a similar sentiment that the International Culture Club and his role as Class Officer helped him get out of his shell, be more courageous and connect with others. Following that personal growth, Chavez identified a lack of other opportunities for connection and created Latino Club to further elevate community spirit and bridge cultural gaps.
Westerville City Schools
Akeelah Omoniyi
Powered by purpose
Although a path to university is not guaranteed, these students have always worked to build upon the foundation set for them by their families.
Both Chavez and Pedro express that they’ll be pursuing degrees as a way to honor the life of opportunities provided to them by their parents. Chavez says that attending university is about continuing what his parents have established and making them proud by being the first person in his family to graduate from an university.
Omoniyi’s motivation comes from her mother.
“(My mother) always drove the fact that education is power… we all start from different standpoints in life based on economic and cultural background, but education is what really differentiates (people),” Omoniyi says.
Beyond the books
While their academic achievements are impressive, these students shine just as brightly outside of the classroom.
Westerville City Schools
Sami Pedro
When she’s not spending time creating or playing games on the computer, Pedro enjoys bowling for Westerville South High School’s competitive bowling team. That said, while researching universities, Pedro discovered that many of them do not have their own bowling team. Consequently, she is keen to start a bowling team at Stanford.
Chavez likes to keep himself entertained with YouTube videos, video games and playing with his younger brother.
“What I really love, though, is playing the cello,” says Chavez. “It is very important keeping that musical aspect (of myself).”
Chavez, first and foremost, enjoys the music, but also delights in the friendly competition between himself and his friends during orchestra. He plans to explore the musical arts culture at Yale.
For as long as she can remember, Omoniyi has found herself getting lost in a book. Like many young people, Omoniyi says that growing up, she felt a little restricted on what she could do, and that books helped to illuminate how much the world has to offer. Thus, Omoniyi is excited to pursue her dreams and to entertain her younger thoughts of ‘What would I do if I could,’ while enrolled at Northwestern University.
As these students complete their final year of high school, they offer a few words of advice to those who may be considering college.
Chavez compares college preparation to climbing Mount Everest: “The climb may be daunting… but once at the top, it’s like feeling a breeze of air… you just feel more elevated because you have this opportunity to do so much more.”
To aspiring college students, Pedro leaves a simple yet powerful sentiment: “Believe in yourself. Do not commit to failure even before you’ve tried.”
Katarina Guy is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
