Spotlight on Schiff Family Foundation/Prep for Prep Scholar Christopher Ratsimbazafy

Born in Prague, the child of immigrants from Africa, Christopher moved to New York City with his mother when he was four years old.  They share an incredibly strong bond – Christopher describes his mother as “my rock, my inspiration.”  Because his mother has been his greatest cheerleader and a key contributor to his success, Christopher was proud to have her meet the person whose tremendous support made his Prep journey possible.

Since his first year at Collegiate, Christopher earned stellar grades in his classes. He received extremely high praise from all of his teachers, who described him as “an active, engaged, and enthusiastic student.”  In addition to his impressive academic achievements, Christopher was a star athlete, both in and out of school.  He was a member of the Varsity cross country, indoor track, and soccer teams at Collegiate, and served as captain of a soccer league that won the New York Upper State 90 Division Cup.  At Collegiate, Christopher also participated in Model UN, where he was awarded “Best Delegate” at the Yale Model UN Conference and the Dalton Model UN Conference in 2014, and was the Editor-in-Chief of the school’s French literary magazine, Charabia.

This summer, aside from preparing for his first year at Princeton, Christopher interned with Morgan Stanley's Wealth Management team.  While the transition to college will be difficult for both him and his mother, Christopher is looking forward to Princeton where he hopes to major in the Woodrow Wilson School of International and Public Affairs.

Christopher is one of 11 Schiff Family Foundation/Prep for Prep Scholars.  The Schiff Family Foundation, which has been a generous and committed funder of Prep for the past 15 years, makes an annual gift to support one student’s journey through the Prep for Prep program, including Admissions; the 14-month Preparatory Component (including Secondary School placement); Post-Placement Counseling & Activities; and Leadership Development.  The honorary distinction of being named a Prep for Prep Scholar recognizes students who stand out, even amongst their extraordinary peers, as outstanding students and members of their school and Prep communities.  Since 2002, 23 donors to the Prep for Prep Scholars Program have sponsored a total of 169 deserving students.  To learn more about the Prep for Prep Scholars Program, please visit our website.