A Visionary Leader Refreshing the World

The honors and recognitions continue to pour in for Michelle Cuevas Tineo '26! In addition to receiving a prestigious QuestBridge Match Scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania, Michelle has been selected as a 2026 Coca-Cola Scholar.

Michele is one of just 150 Scholars selected from a pool of 107,000+ applicants nationwide after a highly-competitive process.

Congratulations, Michelle!

• The Coca-Cola Scholarship - Refreshing the World
• A Perfect QuestBridge Match: University of Pennsylvania
• Meet Michelle Cuevas Tineo '26

 

About the Coca-Cola Scholarship - Refreshing the World

The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation exists to bring better to the world through investment in exceptional high school students who are dedicated to leadership, service, and action that positively affects others.

The Coca-Cola Scholars Program scholarship is an achievement-based scholarship awarded to students in their final year of high school. Students are recognized for their capacity to lead and serve, as well as their commitment to making a significant impact on their schools and communities.

These 150 high school seniors will each receive a $20,000 college scholarship and join a family of 7,100+ alumni who are leading positive change in their communities and around the world.

The 150 finalists will attend Coca-Cola Scholars Weekend in Atlanta, Georgia, April 23-26, 2026, where they will be the guests of honor at the 38th annual Coca-Cola Scholars Banquet and participate in the Coca-Cola Scholars Leadership Development Institute facilitated by program alumni. Upon completion of Scholars Weekend in Atlanta, they will be named official Coca-Cola Scholars and receive a $20,000 college scholarship.

In addition to receiving college scholarships, those students selected as Coca-Cola Scholars will be welcomed into a vibrant community of alumni that has become a powerful force for positive change in the world. Through networking, collaborations, and friendships, the group strives to make a greater impact together. Unique opportunities include a coaching program that partners seasoned alumni with first-year Scholars as they transition to college, professional and personal development programming, and a Coca-Cola Scholars Leadership Summit every 5 years.

Less than 1/6th of 1% of applicants were chosen to receive this extremely competitive award. These 150 students, who were selected from an initial pool of 107,000+ applications from across the country, not only exemplify superior leadership, service, and academics, they are change agents, positively affecting others in their communities.

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A Perfect QuestBridge Match: University of Pennsylvania

December 8, 2025

Congratulations to Michelle Cuevas Tineo '26, who has matched with the University of Pennsylvania through the highly selective QuestBridge program.

Michelle will attend Penn on a full scholarship to study economics. Her purpose: to address the issues that perpetuate poverty.

QuestBridge connects high-achieving students with a thriving community and transformative educational, career, and life opportunities that help propel them to lives of fulfillment, meaning, and purpose.

Michelle, an outstanding student and cherished member of the Central Catholic community, has received a Match Scholarship, which in addition to early admittance covers the full cost of attendance over four years, including tuition, housing and food, books and supplies, and travel expenses.

"I am so grateful for this opportunity and hope to do great things to impact my community!"

"I want to thank my counselor (Mrs. Lisa Finneran, CCHS School & College Counselor), the Thrive Scholars program, and the Horatio Alger Scholars program for their support with my application!"

"Michelle is an exceptional student and person," states Mrs. Lisa Finneran, her School & College Counselor.

"It has been a true honor to work with her over the past four years. I knew from the moment she arrived as a freshman that she was someone special, and she has always been an absolute pleasure to work with."

"This QuestBridge scholarship is incredibly well-deserved, and I cannot wait to see all the wonderful things she will accomplish in the future."

About Questbridge

QuestBridge is a national nonprofit organization that connects high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds with a thriving community and transformative educational, career, and life opportunities that help propel them to lives of fulfillment, meaning, and purpose. From QuestBridge’s founding over 30 years ago, the organization has always focused on creating opportunities for students from low-income backgrounds, regardless of race, geography, or academic interest.

The Match Scholarship

Each Match Scholarship Recipient receives early admission and a full four-year scholarship to a QuestBridge college partner, ensuring for these students and their families that an education at a top college is affordable. The Match Scholarship — provided by the school — is made up of a generous financial aid package that covers the full cost of attendance, including tuition, housing and food, books and supplies, and travel expenses. The Match Scholarship does not include loans or a parental contribution.

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Michelle Cuevas Tineo '26

• Hometown: Lawrence
• Middle School: Lawrence Family Development Charter School (Lawrence, MA)
• National Merit® Commended Student
• Harvard Prize Book Award Recipient

Activities

• The Christmas Project, Leadership Team
• Love For Lazarus
• Band
• DECA
• Mock Trial
• Model UN
• Passport Club
• Theatre Guild
• Visions
• Flute Quartet
• National Honor Society
• Student Ambassadors
• Campus Ministry
• Outside CCHS
  • Tutor at Lawrence Family Development Charter School
  • Canobie Lake Park Cook
  • Thrive Scholars

Why is CCHS Special?

"The community. Central gets together for football games, liturgies, and pep rallies, and we also unite for food drives, the Christmas Project, and volunteering."

Committed to Service

"I love being able to make a difference, even if it’s small. I started Love For Lazarus for that reason, because I wanted to unite everyone to volunteer together and make a difference together."

"Helping serve food at Lazarus House or helping at the Thrift Store are really how I spend a lot of my summer, and I love greeting guests, especially since a lot of them speak Spanish."

"I also tutor at my old middle school where I play dodgeball with kids and help them with their homework, it feels really fulfilling when kids say that they enjoy your visits and ask when you’re coming back."

Faculty Role Models

• Mr. Denmead (Mr. Bruce Denmead, Music Teacher & Band Director) helped me learn how to play the flute in freshman year and is very dedicated to the band program;
• Mr. Sansoucie (Mr. Matthew Sansoucie '06, Math, Business, & Technology Faculty) as both the DECA teacher and my teacher in Macroeconomics and Entrepreneurship, has really helped me develop my passion for economics and business;
• Ms. Labrie [Mrs. Jessica (Dick '09) Labrie '09, English Faculty] helped me develop my research project and we organized tickets together for Theatre Guild;
• Mr. Griffin (Mr. Brian Griffin, Science Faculty) has helped me with Physics questions when I visit after school, he is always available for extra help;
• Mr. Benson (Mr. William Benson '11, Social Studies Faculty) has helped me enjoy history and is a source of support at school;
• Ms. Thompson [Mrs. Christine (Leonard '06) Thompson English Faculty) helped me improve my writing skills in AP Seminar and was very supportive.

The Future

"I want to study Economics so I can understand our economic systems and help address the issues that perpetuate poverty."