Article written by Ainsley Hall and published in The Journal on December 17, 2025, link to full article HERE.
Hedgesville High School’s Caitlin Hall earned the QuestBridge National College Match scholarship, leading to a full ride to Duke University. Since she started high school, Hall’s goal has been to pursue a higher education and attend a prestigious school. With this opportunity, Hall will attend her first choice school, following her siblings’ footsteps.
The QuestBridge National College Match works with the country's 55 top colleges to find talented students from every state. Once a student is chosen as a finalist, they create a list of their top 15 schools and apply. The first school on the list that accepts the student is considered a match and the student will receive a full four-year scholarship to the university. Hall started the application process in August, answering questions like sharing her life story and what she does to relax.
When Hall first heard that her application was accepted, she was overwhelmed with joy. She was with her two older siblings when she heard the news and said that all three of them started crying.
“It felt like everything that I have worked towards for my entire life had paid off,” Hall said. “We were so happy and so excited, and then we immediately said a prayer, just to thank God for everything, because it was such an incredible blessing to have this opportunity.”
That work didn’t just include academics, though Hall always made her education her first priority. Hall has served as class president all four years of high school, president of the Youth Leadership Association for the past two years, vice president of the Rotary Interact Club, a member of Key Club, co-president of FCA and Pep Club, captain of the soccer team and swim team and also played tennis in the spring. Her busy schedule meant she had to learn to organize her time and work with other members of her team to reach their goals. Hall learned a lot of leadership skills and how to communicate with others effectively.
“I think each of these clubs has helped me in a different way with my application because they taught me to see things from different perspectives,” Hall said. “I interact with so many different people throughout all these clubs and it made me realize just how many perspectives there are on different things.”
Hall was accepted into the first school of her choice, Duke University, where she plans to pursue a degree in economics. Though she doesn’t know for sure what career she wants after college, she is considering going into consulting or investment banking. She has always enjoyed math, but what really drew her to economics is the way it combines reasoning and psychology, asking why people use their money the way they do.
Hall is thankful for everyone in her life who has supported her journey so far, including her family, teachers and people like her School Counselor Lewis Ruddek who guided her through the process.