Mastic Teen Earns Full Scholarship To Yale

MASTIC, NY —William Floyd High School senior Nathalia Reis has made her hometown proud: The teen has been awarded a full four-year scholarship to Yale University through the QuestBridge National College Match program, an initiative that connects the nation’s highest-achieving seniors to America’s top colleges and universities.

Nathalia is one of 1,127 students across the county to win the scholarship out of more than 15,000 applicants.

Although undecided on a major at this point, she is considering ethics, politics and economics; she will be a member of the Yale University Class of 2024.

Having taken advanced placement, honors and college-level courses, Nathalia, 17, of Mastic, has been an overall weighted grade point average of 103.50. She scored almost perfectly on her college entrance exams, scoring a 1550 on her SAT and a 35 on her ACT.

“Nathalia is an intelligent, hardworking, mature and goal-oriented student who challenges herself on a daily basis,” said Amanda Ericksen, Nathalia’s guidance counselor. “She has an innate and insatiable love for learning which serves as an inspiration to others.”

Nathalia, has attended William Floyd schools K through 12 at Moriches Elementary School, William Floyd Middle School and William Floyd High School.

“This is significant for me and my family," she said. "I’m excited for the opportunity to go to an amazing school on a full scholarship,”

She will be the first in her family to attend college.

Nathalia is a member of the National Honor Society, the Stony Brook University and Technology Entry Program, the Tri-M Music Honor Society, playing violin, mock trial, the Long Island Mentor Moot Court, and the youth and government program — she was selected by her peers from across New York State to serve as chief justice at the 2020 conference.

Nathalia is also involved in the William Floyd High School Science Research program and has won multiple awards, including first place in the STEP Program Junior Division Research Competition as a freshman, in which she and Erin Tumbrello, mentored by NYS Master Teachers Victoria Hernandez and Anya Swiss, conducted research analyzing the biodiversity of biological vectors between forested and coastal environments, a release said.

Nathalia also won second-place honors at the New York State Science & Engineering Fair Andromeda Competition.

She has also attained the rank of ambassador with the Girl Scouts.

“We applaud you for your dedication to achieving academic and personal excellence, and we are delighted to welcome you into the QuestBridge Scholars Network,” said Ana McCullough, co-founder and CEO of QuestBridge, in a letter to Nathalia, who is one of 87 QuestBridge Scholars selected to attend Yale University.

The QuestBridge Scholars Program grants early admission to one of QuestBridge’s 40 college partners with a full four-year scholarship worth more than $200,000.