With support from Achievement First Ujima High School’s college counseling program and years of academic preparation, Ibrahim Bah earned a full four-year scholarship to Tufts University through QuestBridge, one of the most competitive college match programs in the country.
The first time Ibrahim Bah realized how big the world really was, he was looking at a flag.
He was young when he noticed a flag with red, yellow, and green and asked his aunt where it was from. She told him it was the flag of Guinea, a country in West Africa, then showed him a map of the world. Until that moment, Ibrahim had never really thought about other countries. “I thought America was the whole world, and New York was my country,” he said.
That moment sparked a curiosity that would shape his future. He began memorizing countries and their flags, exploring places on Google Earth, and reading about how countries interact. Over time, that curiosity turned into a goal: to study global affairs and one day work in diplomacy.
“I want to work with the United Nations and help people in other countries,” he said. “I want to be the type of person to go into those countries and try to make a change.”
This fall, Ibrahim, a senior at Achievement First Ujima High School in Brooklyn, will attend Tufts University through the QuestBridge National College Match, a highly selective program that connects high-achieving students with significant financial need to full four-year scholarships at some of the most selective colleges in the country. Each year, thousands of students apply, and only a small percentage are matched with a full scholarship.
Ibrahim first learned about QuestBridge in 10th grade after seeing a family member go through the program. From that point on, he began preparing, focusing on his grades and participating in summer academic programs — opportunities he was connected to through Achievement First — that allowed him to experience college life and explore his academic interests.
Through Achievement First Ujima High School, Ibrahim was connected to several summer pre-college programs that allowed him to experience college life and explore his academic interests. Over three summers, he attended programs at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, and Georgetown University, where he studied subjects like chemical engineering and global affairs. Living on college campuses and taking challenging courses helped him see a future for himself in those spaces and strengthened his interest in this field.
Throughout the QuestBridge application process, Ibrahim worked closely with his college counselor, Allegra Neely-Wilson, on essays, recommendations, and interviews. Neely-Wilson said that when she first read his essays, she was struck by how clearly he understood his interests and how thoughtfully he connected his personal experiences to his academic goals.
“He already knew how to connect so many parts of what he liked — geopolitics, history, his own experiences — into a story,” she said. “That’s huge.”
In his essays, Ibrahim wrote about his early fascination with flags and maps and how that curiosity grew into a passion for global affairs. He also wrote about building confidence, describing how going to the gym helped him develop discipline and self-confidence that carried over into school, where he began speaking up more in class and pushing himself academically.
There were moments when he doubted himself, especially when he looked at acceptance rates and test scores for the schools he hoped to attend. “Self-doubt was a big obstacle,” he said. But with support from his family and his teachers, he kept going, revising essays, preparing for interviews, and completing the demanding application.
He found out he had been accepted to Tufts while sitting in AP English class. He had expected the decision later in the day, but when he saw a status update on his application portal, his heart started racing. When he opened the decision and saw that he had been accepted through QuestBridge and into his first-choice school, he was in shock.
“I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I was just really excited and really happy.”
He called his mother, Oumou Barry, who was at work at the time. When she heard the news, she started crying.
“It means everything,” she said. Reflecting on Ibrahim’s education, she said, “My experience with Achievement First — I would not go back and change anything for my boys. I love it.”
For Ibrahim, Tufts represents the next step toward his goal of working in diplomacy and international organizations. When asked what advice he would give younger students, his answer was simple: “Don’t doubt yourself. Confidence can make or break your goals.”
This fall, Ibrahim will leave Brooklyn and head to Tufts University, ready for what comes next. 
