Mariah Jones, 18, Goes from Women’s Shelter in Pittsburgh to Full Ride Scholarship for Astrophysics at Vassar

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, high school senior Mariah Jones, who once lived with her mother and her older sisters at the Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, is now on her way to Vassar College in NY this fall on a full scholarship.

Jones, 18, is currently working with an astrophysicist at the University of Pittsburgh as a part of a project that endeavors to estimate the distance to other galaxies, an opportunity that came about when she cold-called Brett Andrews, a research assistant professor at Pitt.

To quote the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

“She had reached out to me and a bunch of other professors at Pitt,” Andrew said. “Her curiosity and her drive make her unique. She’s taken the initiative and reached out to people she doesn’t know to make an opportunity for herself.”

That opportunity culminated in a prestigious QuestBridge scholarship to Vassar. QuestBridge is a national nonprofit based in CA that connects exceptional, low-income youth with leading colleges and opportunities.

“I’ve always been a very aggressive, very strong-willed person and I’m very open to taking challenges head-on. I don’t let anything stop me.”

To see Jones talk about her interests and journey, click below:

Read more: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/19-neighbors/2021/02/27/19-Neighbors-Mariah-Jones-Baldwin-High-School-COVID-19/stories/202102260171