Arcadia Student Earns Full-Tuition High School Scholarship

Arul Kolla of Rancho Lab School is one of 30 scholarship winners. – Courtesy photo / DigitalRalph (CC BY 2.0)

The Institute for Educational Advancement (IEA) is pleased to announce that Arul Kolla of Rancho Lab School has been selected as one of this year’s Caroline D. Bradley (CDB) Scholars.

A total of 30 students, chosen from a competitive pool of gifted seventh grade applicants from across the country, receive full-tuition scholarships to any high school program that best fits their academic and personal needs. Additionally, they join a group of fellow Scholars for lifelong learning and support.

The program, which began in 2002 and is generously funded by The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, is one of the few merit-based, need-blind scholarships of its kind in the U.S. To date, IEA has awarded 293 scholarships to gifted learners, and alumni are already making their mark on the world. Currently there are 144 alumni, 104 of whom have graduated from college and are in the work force, attending graduate school and/or participating in international service and fellowship programs.

“What makes the CDB Scholarship program unique is that the emphasis is on ‘fit’ for each individual Scholar. There are no limitations to how far a Scholar can reach academically, because every educational option can be considered,” Scholarship Manager Bonnie Raskin said.

Every child deserves the opportunity to learn in an appropriate, challenging and engaging educational environment.

“We must support our advanced students to grow as individuals and global citizens who are able to contribute to the innovation, strength and growth of our nation,” President of IEA Elizabeth Jones said. “Thanks to the generosity of the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, 30 gifted students of the CDB Scholar class of 2018 are assured resources to fuel their passion and support their advanced learning capacity in a challenging environment.”

Students apply for the CDB Scholarship in the seventh grade and are required to complete a rigorous application process, which include essays, middle school transcripts, two recommendations and a work sample. Eligible applicants must also achieve scores at or above the 97th percentile on nationally normed standardized tests and score competitively with high school seniors on the SAT Reasoning or ACT tests.

Three regional selection committees comprised of a diverse group of school admissions directors, CDB Scholar alumni, university personnel and community and business leaders nationwide were tasked with choosing 58 finalists out of a pool of hundreds of applicants. Each of the 58 CDB finalists, from which the 30 were chosen, met with members of the CDB staff for an interview.

Over the course of the next several months, IEA staff, current CDB Scholars and CDB alumni will provide guidance and assistance to the entering class of 2018 Scholars as they begin to identify potential high school programs, completing applications and preparing their individualized educational plan for next year.

The application for the next class of CDB Scholars will be available in November 2018.

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