Thursday, October 1, 2026
Scholarships give students across the country the chance to pursue a college education, but only a relative few receive full rides — and Aidan Tarsia, of Long Beach, is one of them.
Tarsia, 17, a senior at Long Beach High School, will attend Boston College in September thanks to the QuestBridge National College Match, which pairs students with a school of their choice based on a list they submit, and their qualifications. Tarsia, who described himself as competitive by nature, is one of 2,550 U.S. students honored by QuestBridge this year with scholarships that will cover the entire cost of their college education, including tuition, housing, meals, books, supplies and travel.
“It shows what I did paid off,” he said. “I’ve never been focused on extracurriculars or sports. I worked hard, so it’s very fulfilling.” Tarsia plans to study earth and environmental sciences, which he has been passionate about for a while.
He is a member of the National Honor Society, so you might think he feels constant pressure to succeed. But, as he explained, he simply focused on balancing the QuestBridge requirements and his coursework with his mental health.
QuestBridge is an organization founded in 1994 at Stanford University, to help high-achieving high school juniors from low-income backgrounds. They focused on internal growth, allowing them to prepare for the college application process as seniors.
The deadlines for its College Match program are tight. In a four-week window starting in September, students submit information on their academics, extracurricular activities and optional test scores, as well as two teacher recommendations.
In the next step of the process, Tarsia made a list of his preferred colleges, working from a list of 55 of QuestBridge’s “partner” colleges. If a school he chose recognized him as an adequate candidate through his academic accomplishments, Tarsia had from Oct. 21 to Nov. 1 to submit supplemental essays on his academic interests as well as his community and leadership activities.
Through it all, he remained positive. “I make sure to leave room to relax,” he said, “so that I can focus on the quality and quantity of my work while not being overloaded.”
He has had no shortage of challenging classes. From November 2024 to March 2025, he conducted a study on hurricanes as part of a science research course. He focused on the relationships between atmospheric pressure systems and their environmental impact, as well as their effects on ecosystems. The course was offered at the high school as part of the International Baccalaureate curriculum.
“It was very fulfilling,” he said.
This year he has embarked on a similar IB course titled Environmental Systems and Society. He is focusing on the Norwegian oil and gas company Equinor’s now suspended plans to build offshore wind energy infrastructure in the Atlantic Ocean that, had it been connected to Long Island’s grid, would have delivered clean energy to the region. Tarsia collected community feedback using a survey.
His focus on challenging himself has earned him praise from his instructors, including Cody Onufrock, who teaches Environmental Systems and Society.
“Aidan is dependable and always submits high-quality work on time,” Onufrock said. “He has a genuine care for the work he submits. He cares, has an internal motivation.”
When the ESS class, which has 18 students, wanted to have a session outside, Tarsia volunteered to paint water sealant on all the seats and classroom boards they’d be using outdoors.
When he’s not doing classwork or homework, he gives back to his community. In December 2024, he donated a variety of canned goods to the Little Free Pantry Project in Long Beach, which was collecting in preparation for increased demand during the holiday season. He also volunteers as a peer tutor, helping students with their math studies, and he dog-sits for neighbors and family friends.
“He acts like a role model,” Onufrock said. “I’m so happy that he got the award.”
Tarsia hopes to eventually study meteorology, and after graduating from Boston College he will join a network of over 20,000 QuestBridge alumni for continuing career support and networking.
“We are incredibly proud of Tarsia for this extraordinary achievement,” the Long Beach School District stated in a news release. “His hard work, resilience and dedication have opened the door to an incredible opportunity at Boston College.”
