How Africa News
Dennis “Maliq” Barnes, a senior at International High School of New Orleans, earned global headlines after being accepted to over 185 institutions and receiving scholarship offers totaling more than $10 million. According to CNN, the record-breaking high school senior announced on Friday that he will be attending Cornell University in the fall.
Barnes is alleged to have told his high school about the college he had intended to attend. He also made the news while wearing a Cornell University sweatshirt. “I have committed to attending Cornell University and intend to pursue computer science and later move on to practice software development,” the 16-year-old added.
“Today is an exciting day for me and my family and I look forward to working with Cornell’s College of Engineering over the course of my undergraduate education.”
Barnes’ academic achievements thus far are commendable, since he has a 4.98 GPA and will graduate two years early. In an earlier interview with CNN, the 16-year-old stated that he planned to pursue computer science before attending law school. He also stated that he had no intention of breaking any records when he began applying to colleges in August 2020.
“As I applied to more schools, as my numbers went up, with the financial aid and acceptances into universities, I became intrigued,” Barnes said. He also revealed he ultimately decided to go for it when he was informed he could possibly set the record.
Explaining why he picked Cornell University, Barnes said the prestigious educational institution is the “best Ivy League for engineering”, adding that his aim was to enroll at a school that would set him up for success and give him “a quality education.”
