Peoria Public Schools is celebrating remarkable student achievement as two International Baccalaureate (IB) seniors have earned 100% full-ride scholarships to Ivy League universities through the prestigious QuestBridge National College Match program.
Kevin Liao has matched with Princeton University, where he will be pursuing physics, and Johnny Thai has matched with the University of Pennsylvania, where he plans to study pre-med with a specialization in neuroscience. Both students received comprehensive scholarships covering tuition, room and board, and academic expenses.
A third PPS student also qualified for QuestBridge and is guaranteed a full-ride scholarship to a highly selective partner institution. She has chosen to wait for regular decision announcements later this spring.
These accomplishments highlight the hard work, persistence, and academic excellence of PPS students. They also reflect the strength of the district’s rigorous programs—including IB, Advanced Placement, and dual credit—and the ongoing support from dedicated educators and families.
Over the past several years, Peoria Public Schools students have earned acceptance and full-ride scholarships to some of the most competitive colleges and universities in the nation. Recent student acceptances include:
Harvard
Yale
Princeton
University of Pennsylvania
Columbia University
Stanford
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
U.S. Military Academy at West Point
Northwestern University
Washington University in St. Louis
New York University
University of Chicago
UCLA
University of Southern California
Duke University
University of North Carolina
“This is truly incredible and shines a spotlight on Peoria Public Schools,” said Thomas Hayes, IB Program Teacher.