Prep Journeys: David Pham '26

David Pham was sitting in his college counselor’s office when the news came on December 1.

“I was with Mrs. (Courtney) Pinto and my friends, Luke Chamberlain and Liam Fleming, when I got the email from QuestBridge,” he remembers.

It was a moment he will never forget. The message informed him that he had been matched with Boston College—earning a full scholarship that covers tuition, room and board, travel, and other living expenses.

“When I opened the email and saw the confetti, I knew I was safe,” he says with a laugh. “I was really excited to be matched with Boston College.”

QuestBridge connects high-achieving high school seniors from low-income backgrounds with four-year scholarships to the nation’s top colleges. This year, 2,550 Finalists matched with one of QuestBridge’s 55 college partners as Match Scholarship Recipients—students who have demonstrated exceptional potential to thrive on campus and beyond.

Pham’s story begins in North Philadelphia in Olney, where he grew up the youngest of three children and the only son raised by a single immigrant mother. Although she sometimes struggled with the language barrier, she stressed the importance of education. “I grew up with the mindset that I needed to make a name for myself,” Pham says. “Education was the way, and it was a blessing.”

As a student at St. Helena’s/Incarnation, he first learned about St. Joseph’s Prep and was captivated by then-Admissions Director Howie Brown ’99. “I wanted to be like him,” Pham remembers. After talking with his principal, he applied to the Prep and was named a Howley Scholar (a full-tuition scholarship funded by the Howley Foundation, led by Nick Howley ‘70; the scholarship is awarded each year to 15 high-achieving students who would benefit from financial support). “I never would have been able to attend the Prep if it wasn’t for the Howley Foundation,” he says. “All of this might never have happened. I am so grateful.”

Pham arrived at the Prep in fall 2022 as a shy freshman. “I grew up with a stutter, and that impacted me,” he says. “I was very quiet in school.”

But on his first day, he heard a message in the Church of the Gesu that stuck with him. He remembers being told that “It was up to me to try and make friends,” he recalls. “I decided I had to make the first move.” Walking out of the church, he approached a friendly-looking classmate,Luca Weston,who remains one of his closest friends.

From there, his friend group grew quickly. He also immersed himself in Prep life, joining the Asian Culture Club (now serving as President), the Speed Cubing Club (President), the Cape and Sword Drama Society (Usher and Night of Scenes participant), the Strategy Gaming Club, the Chess Club, SpeakUp! (student leader), Volleyball, and Science Olympiad, among others.

“I first met David as a freshman in the speed-cubing club. His curious approach to problem solving was evident immediately and so was his enthusiasm in sharing his talents with others,” says Mrs. Pinto. “The more I got to know David, the more I saw these same qualities play out in other areas of his life too. From his willingness to take on a summer of Chinese language study at the University of Mississippi to his cheerful approach to peer tutoring classmates during his free periods, David was simply here to achieve all aspects of the Grad at Grad. Helping him through the Questbridge application process was the culmination of a super successful journey through St. Joe’s Prep.”

Pham knew he would need support to achieve his college goals. Fortunately, his older sister Kristina had discovered the QuestBridge program during her own application process and matched with the University of Pennsylvania.

“She told me, ‘This is the golden ticket,’ and walked me through everything,” Pham says.

He began with the QuestBridge pre-program, which he learned significantly increased his chances of becoming a scholar. With help from Mrs. Pinto, he applied this fall. On October 1, he learned he had been accepted as a QuestBridge participant and then just a few weeks later he learned he was a finalist. This prompted the next challenge: applying to 15 partner schools and ranking them in order of preference.

“Oh gosh, it was so stressful,” Pham says, laughing. He wrote 17 essays in three weeks while battling bronchitis and appendicitis that required surgery. “Because my sister had done it, I thought it would be no problem. I had no idea how much work it would be, but I am definitely happy I did it all.”

At Boston College, Pham plans to study International Studies, inspired by his desire to travel and experience the world—a passion sparked during a Prep trip to Asia in summer 2024. Still, he readily admits he’s a “huge computer nerd,” so he’s not ruling out a tech-related path.

Pham is always eager for new experiences. In 2023, he attended the University of Mississippi’s Summer Language Institute, where he and Prep classmate Liam Fleming were two of only three high school students who advanced into the full-credit intensive Chinese II course alongside incoming Ole Miss freshmen.

“I love my connection with Asian culture and want to be immersed in it,” he says, adding that he hopes to study abroad in Asia while at BC.

With only a few months left as a Prep student, Pham is filled with gratitude. “There are so many people here who have shaped my life,” he says.