Oswego student who discovers love of art during pandemic nabs four-year scholarship to Northwestern

Oswego High School senior Ismael Corral decided to try oil painting while learning at home during the height of the pandemic, and now has his sights on attending one of the most prestigious universities in the country.

“I am surprising myself with every art piece that I do and how I can push my expectations. My teachers at Oswego High School are amazingly supportive and happy for me,” Corral said.

Corral, 17, was recently awarded a full four-year scholarship to Northwestern University through the QuestBridge National College Match Scholarship program. His plan is to major in fine arts, Oswego School District 308 officials announced.

“I had been in choir and thought singing was something I could do. But once the pandemic started, I realized I wasn’t as much in love with singing. I decided to try my art stuff and figured out I really liked it,” Corral said.

Corral dropped his choir class and enrolled in a painting class in his junior year.

 “It was an amazing experience. I decided this is what I want to do,” he said.

Corral recently painted his 19-year-old sister Raquel “Tita” Corral on canvas.

“I have not had too much experience with oil painting. Her face is what you call an underpainting where you take one color as a base and apply multiple layers to build up the darkness. It was a fun experiment,” he said.

The time away from in-person classes during the height of the pandemic when students were learning remotely helped him to find his inner-artist, he said.

“I never thought of myself as an art kid. Once the pandemic started I thought there was no better time than now to try painting. The art path ended up going much better than I ever thought it would,” Corral said.

QuestBridge is a non-profit organization that helps identify students who otherwise may not apply to leading, top-ranked colleges, Oswego School District 308 Communications Director Theresa Komitas said.

The QuestBridge program had been on Corral’s radar.

The idea that he could go to an “amazing institution” like Northwestern University with little to no financial concerns encouraged Corral to do his best, he said.

“The news was shocking,” Corral said of the scholarship. 

Corral said his parents were happy and proud of him knowing how hard he has worked at Oswego High School.

Corral said he appreciates what the QuestBridge mission is about. The organization’s goal is to connect the nation’s brightest students from low-income backgrounds with leading institutions of higher education.

The Match Scholarship is geared toward low-income, high-achieving students who basically are of the caliber and ability for the nation’s top 20 universities but finances are a barrier for them.

While taking some of the hardest courses in the general education path while at Oswego High School, Corral has maintained a 4.0 grade point average through his four years, he said.

“When I first started high school I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do so I went through the standard course work and took the highest level they offered,” he said.

“What’s great about the QuestBridge program for a lot of students is that it provides greater context and gives schools more to work off of in terms of determining admissions. It’s a big step in helping to lessen the barriers for a college education as the price tag keeps going up every year,” he said.

The application process focuses on the achievements and academic success of students who face economic challenges and helps guide applicants through the college admission process.

The colleges partnering with QuestBridge are the ones making the ultimate decisions on which students to admit as well as providing the scholarships to the students, Komitas said.

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This year, 1,674 finalists were awarded Match Scholarships, with 58 students being matched to attend Northwestern University, QuestBridge National College Match Scholarship officials said.

The student recipients are granted early admission with a full four-year scholarship worth over $200,000.

Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.