MARANA, Ariz. (KGUN) — A Marana High School senior has not only been accepted to Yale University but is also receiving a full-ride scholarship covering his expenses for the next four years.
Xander Ultsch was accepted through the QuestBridge program, which matches high-achieving students with top colleges nationwide.
"I still feel like I can't process it, because it was just something I never even imagined could happen. It was the slightest possibility," Ultsch said.
The scholarship will cover tuition, housing, food and other expenses at the Ivy League university.
Ultsch has had a love for math his entire life and even skipped two grade levels in the subject during elementary school. Fast forward to his time at Marana High, where he has participated in math club, chess club, academic decathlon, and even co-founded a philosophy club.
One of his teachers, Jennifer North Morris, known as Ms. NoMo, explained the excitement she felt after hearing the news.
"He came in being his humble self, 'Hey NoMo, I got accepted to Yale.' I probably started screaming and jumping up and down. We didn't hear screaming and jumping up and down from Xander, so I did it for him," North Morris said.
North Morris said Ultsch always strives for excellence.
"It is so exciting to see students like Xander continue their education and then make a difference in the world,” she said. “So that's what I see Xander doing – I'm so excited to see what becomes, I'm getting goosebumps.”
Looking ahead to Yale, Ultsch said he's most excited about the community.
"I know that there are so many amazing, talented and intelligent people there who I’ll get to spend time with and share ideas with, just build off of each other and grow,” he said. “There's a saying that's something like, 'if you're the smartest person in a room, then you're in the wrong room.' There will be plenty of rooms there where that's not the case, so I'm excited just to share that passion, the passion for learning there with all those other people.”
While his major remains undecided, Ultsch plans to pursue something in STEM.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Madison Thomas joined KGUN 9 in July of 2023 as a multimedia journalist. She graduated from Arizona State University in May of 2023 with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She has lived in Arizona her entire life and grew up in Douglas. Madison is thrilled to share the stories from the community she grew up in. Share your story ideas and important issues with Madison by emailing madison.thomas@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
