Name: Jennifer Tobias
San Benito High School
Age: 18
GPA: 4.68
City: Hollister
College: Stanford University
Major: Civil Engineering
Scholarships: Nine scholarships including: Hollister Elks Lodge, San Benito Cattle Women, SBC 4-H “Bank of Us”, SBC 4-H Georgia Wapple Frazer Memorial
Favorite Food: Chocolate
Hero: Her parents
Ever since she was in seventh-grade, Jennifer Tobias has dreamt of heading to Stanford.
“It’s always been my dream school,” she said.
Her dream became a reality when one December afternoon she and her mom stopped at the mailbox as they headed up their driveway. Inside the box was a thick envelope with the Stanford logo on top and in big letters it said “Congratulations!”
Although she’s quite the academic, studying for hours every week and challenging herself with advanced placement classes, Tobias said the support and motivation of her friends and family is what got her into Stanford and has made her well-rounded.
“My friends knew how much I would study and they would always be like ‘come on Jen, that can wait until later, lets go’ and they helped me balance my time and still have fun,” she said.
Along with being a scholar in the classroom, Tobias played varsity soccer for three years. The discipline on the field transferred over to her day-to-day life, she said.
“There were times when it would be pouring and we’d run two miles,” she said. “Sure we didn’t like it at the time but we realized it would, in the end, better the team.”
Tobias also was part of the 4-H team. One of the 20 4-H state ambassadors, Tobias is the highest ranking youth leader in the community and said she can’t picture what her life would have been like without 4-H.
“4-H has given me the ability to speak in front of a crowd and allowed me to contribute to my community,” she said.
Although she is sad to leave her friends and family in San Benito County, Tobias said she’s eager to head to Stanford and finally fulfill the dream she’s had since junior high.
“I’m really excited to start studying what I’m really interested in and head toward my career,” she said.
