Three Desert Sands Unified students awarded full scholarships to top schools

Three students from Desert Sands Unified School District are going to top colleges next year through a program that helps high achieving students from low income backgrounds find a school they could potentially "match" with.

Out of over 25,000 applicants to the Questbridge National Match Scholarship program, Palm Desert High School students Zack Blandon-Smalaj and David Kang, and Indio High School student Vanessa Lemus were selected as matches.

Zach Blandon Smalaj will be going to Rice University, David Kang will be attending Princeton University, and Vanessa Lemus will be a student at Columbia University in the fall.

QuestBridge partners with 52 of the nation's top colleges to award full 4-year scholarships. The National Match application gives students extra space to tell their unique story on how they excelled academically despite financial hardship.