FORT WORTH COUNTRY DAY CLASS OF 2022 EARNS RECORD-BREAKING $14.2 MILLION IN MERIT-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS ACROSS 135 UNIVERSITIES

FORT WORTH COUNTRY DAY CLASS OF 2022 EARNS RECORD-BREAKING $14.2 MILLION IN MERIT-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS ACROSS 135 UNIVERSITIES
85 percent of FWCD’s senior class received scholarships, three will attend Ivy League colleges, three will become collegiate athletes, and 100 percent will attend college in the fall of 2022

FORT WORTH, Texas (May 31, 2022) – Fort Worth Country Day’s (FWCD) Class of 2022 has earned a record-breaking $14.2 million in merit-based scholarships, awarded to 85 percent of its 93 graduating seniors. They were accepted to a total of 135 universities and have committed to attend 50 of them, and will utilize more than $2.6 million of the scholarship money offered at their attending colleges. In total, 49 percent of the class will attend out-of-state colleges and universities, with 51 percent attending Texas-based schools.

FWCD valedictorian Xixi Hillman will attend The University of Texas at Austin in the fall, where she will double major in Biochemistry and Plan II Honors, with a long-term goal of earning an MD/PhD. FWCD’s salutatorian, Joaquin Castro-Balbi, will attend Harvard University in the fall, where he will major in Electrical Engineering and/or Computer Science.

Other Class of 2022 highlights include:

• 19 seniors were named National Merit Scholars, Finalists, Commended, and/or College Board Recognition Programs Scholars

• 25 seniors received AP Scholar Awards, including 20 AP Scholars, two AP Scholars with Honor, and three AP Scholars with Distinction
• Three seniors will attend Ivy League schools, with two attending Harvard University and one attending Cornell University
• Three seniors will become collegiate athletes, with one playing football at Harvard University, one playing women’s soccer at Southwestern University, and one competing on the men’s track and field team at Texas A&M University
• As in previous years, 100 percent of the class will attend college in the fall of 2022

"This class of 93 seniors is impressive. The colleges and universities they've been accepted to are strong and diverse and provide for an array of opportunities,” said Eric Lombardi, head of school at Fort Worth Country Day. “The fact that they uniquely experienced high school before, during, and after the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and have led our school with good humor, good friendship, good work, good art, and good performances on stages, fields, mats and courts is a tribute to these kind, compassionate leaders. All of us who are in the FWCD community owe them gratitude for the gifts they have shared. My challenge for the Class of 2022 as they go to their 50 schools this fall is that they continue to spread their magic … like they have spread it at 4200 Country Day Lane.”

Each year since 2014, FWCD’s senior class has donated a “senior gift” that funds a cause of their choice. This year’s class gave more than $5,500 on the day of their commencement ceremony to support Breakthrough Fort Worth, a nonprofit organization that provides academic enrichment for high-achieving public middle school students from underserved backgrounds. The funds donated will be used to purchase laptop computers for the program’s seniors.

ABOUT FORT WORTH COUNTRY DAY
Since 1963, Fort Worth Country Day has inspired the passion to learn, the courage to lead, and the commitment to serve through a program that fosters the intellectual, physical, emotional and ethical development of its students. Situated on 104 acres in southwest Fort Worth, Fort Worth Country Day’s 220 faculty/staff members lead and teach grades JK-12. Offering a comprehensive college-preparatory curriculum, Fort Worth Country Day focuses on the 3A’s—academics, arts and athletics—to bring balance to students’ experiences, provide opportunities to explore multiple interests, and thrive in a compassionate community. To learn more about Fort Worth Country Day, visit www.fwcd.org or www.Facebook.com/FortWorthCountryDay.

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